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Espinoza-Araya C, Starbird R, Prasad ES, Renugopalakrishnan V, Mulchandani A, Bruce BD, Villarreal CC. A bacteriorhodopsin-based biohybrid solar cell using carbon-based electrolyte and cathode components. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOENERGETICS 2023; 1864:148985. [PMID: 37236292 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2023.148985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
There is currently a high demand for energy production worldwide, mainly producing renewable and sustainable energy. Bio-sensitized solar cells (BSCs) are an excellent option in this field due to their optical and photoelectrical properties developed in recent years. One of the biosensitizers that shows promise in simplicity, stability and quantum efficiency is bacteriorhodopsin (bR), a photoactive, retinal-containing membrane protein. In the present work, we have utilized a mutant of bR, D96N, in a photoanode-sensitized TiO2 solar cell, integrating low-cost, carbon-based components, including a cathode composed of PEDOT (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) functionalized with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) and a hydroquinone/benzoquinone (HQ/BQ) redox electrolyte. The photoanode and cathode were characterized morphologically and chemically (SEM, TEM, and Raman). The electrochemical performance of the bR-BSCs was investigated using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), open circuit potential decay (VOC), and impedance spectroscopic analysis (EIS). The champion device yielded a current density (JSC) of 1.0 mA/cm2, VOC of -669 mV, a fill factor of ~24 %, and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.16 %. This bR device is one of the first bio-based solar cells utilizing carbon-based alternatives for the photoanode, cathode, and electrolyte. This may decrease the cost and significantly improve the device's sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Espinoza-Araya
- Escuela de Ciencia e Ingeniería de Materiales, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 30101, Costa Rica; Centro de Investigación y Extensión en Ingeniería de Materiales (CIEMTEC), Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 30101, Costa Rica; Maestría en Ingeniería de Dispositivos Médicos, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 30101, Costa Rica
| | - Ricardo Starbird
- Centro de Investigación y de Servicios Químicos y Microbiológicos (CEQIATEC), Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 30101, Costa Rica; Escuela de Química, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 30101, Costa Rica
| | - E Senthil Prasad
- Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh 160036, India
| | - Venkatesan Renugopalakrishnan
- Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; MGB Center for COVID Innovation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Renewable Energy Technology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02138, USA
| | - Ashok Mulchandani
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Center for Environmental Research & Technology (CE-CERT), University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92507, USA
| | - Barry D Bruce
- Department of Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; Program in Genome Science and Technology, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, TN 37830, USA.
| | - Claudia C Villarreal
- Escuela de Ciencia e Ingeniería de Materiales, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 30101, Costa Rica; Centro de Investigación y Extensión en Ingeniería de Materiales (CIEMTEC), Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 30101, Costa Rica.
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Rodríguez-Quesada L, Ramírez-Sánchez K, León-Carvajal S, Sáenz-Arce G, Vásquez-Sancho F, Avendaño-Soto E, Montero-Rodríguez JJ, Starbird-Perez R. Evaluating the Effect of Iron(III) in the Preparation of a Conductive Porous Composite Using a Biomass Waste-Based Starch Template. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15112560. [PMID: 37299358 DOI: 10.3390/polym15112560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In this work, the effect of iron(III) in the preparation of a conductive porous composite using a biomass waste-based starch template was evaluated. Biopolymers are obtained from natural sources, for instance, starch from potato waste, and its conversion into value-added products is highly significant in a circular economy. The biomass starch-based conductive cryogel was polymerized via chemical oxidation of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) using iron(III) p-toluenesulfonate as a strategy to functionalize porous biopolymers. Thermal, spectrophotometric, physical, and chemical properties of the starch template, starch/iron(III), and the conductive polymer composites were evaluated. The impedance data of the conductive polymer deposited onto the starch template confirmed that at a longer soaking time, the electrical performance of the composite was improved, slightly modifying its microstructure. The functionalization of porous cryogels and aerogels using polysaccharides as raw materials is of great interest for applications in electronic, environmental, and biological fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laria Rodríguez-Quesada
- Master Program in Medical Devices Engineering, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 159-7050, Costa Rica
| | - Karla Ramírez-Sánchez
- Centro de Investigación en Servicios Químicos y Microbiológicos (CEQIATEC), Escuela de Química, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 159-7050, Costa Rica
| | - Sebastián León-Carvajal
- Master Program in Medical Devices Engineering, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 159-7050, Costa Rica
| | - Giovanni Sáenz-Arce
- Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional, Heredia 86-3000, Costa Rica
- Centro de Investigación en Óptica y Nanofísica, Departamento de Física, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Fabián Vásquez-Sancho
- Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (CICIMA), University of Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica
- School of Physics, University of Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica
| | - Esteban Avendaño-Soto
- Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (CICIMA), University of Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica
- School of Physics, University of Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica
| | | | - Ricardo Starbird-Perez
- Centro de Investigación en Servicios Químicos y Microbiológicos (CEQIATEC), Escuela de Química, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 159-7050, Costa Rica
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Kargul J, Jacquet M. Biomolecular and Biohybrid Systems for Solar Energy Conversion. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24097794. [PMID: 37175501 PMCID: PMC10178143 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24097794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The depletion of fossil fuels and increased amount of atmospheric/environmental pollution associated with the excessive use of fossil fuels to power our economies have intensified the efforts of academia and industry worldwide to seek sustainable technological solutions to meet the global energy demand [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Kargul
- Solar Fuels Laboratory, Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2C, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Margot Jacquet
- Solar Fuels Laboratory, Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2C, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
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