School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, South Korea.
Adv Mater. 2021 Nov;33(47):e2005919. doi: 10.1002/adma.202005919. Epub 2020 Nov 25.
Harvesting solar energy in the form of electricity from the photosynthesis of plants, algal cells, and bacteria has been researched as the most environment-friendly renewable energy technology in the last decade. The primary challenge has been the engineering of electrochemical interfacing with photosynthetic apparatuses, organelles, or whole cells. However, with the aid of low-dimensional nanomaterials, there have been many advances, including enhanced photon absorption, increased generation of photosynthetic electrons (PEs), and more efficient transfer of PEs to electrodes. These advances have demonstrated the possibility for the technology to advance to a new level. In this article, the fundamentals of photosynthesis are introduced. How PE harvesting systems have improved concerning solar energy absorption, PE production, and PE collection by electrodes is discussed. The review focuses on how different kinds of nanomaterials are applied and function in interfacing with photosynthetic materials for enhanced PE harvesting. Finally, the review analyzes how the performance of PE harvesting and stand-alone systems have evolved so far and its future prospects.
在过去十年中，人们一直在研究以电能的形式从植物、藻类细胞和细菌的光合作用中采集太阳能，作为最环保的可再生能源技术。主要的挑战一直是工程学上如何与光合作用装置、细胞器或整个细胞进行电化学接口。然而，在低维纳米材料的帮助下，已经取得了许多进展，包括增强了光子吸收、增加了光合电子 (PE) 的产生，以及更有效地将 PE 转移到电极上。这些进展表明该技术有可能进入一个新的水平。本文介绍了光合作用的基本原理。讨论了 PE 采集系统如何在太阳能吸收、PE 产生和电极对 PE 的收集方面得到改善。综述重点介绍了不同种类的纳米材料如何应用于与光合材料接口，以提高 PE 采集效率。最后，综述分析了迄今为止 PE 采集和独立系统的性能如何演变及其未来前景。
