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.
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.
Biochim Biophys Acta Bioenerg. 2023 Nov 1;1864(4):148985. doi: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2023.148985. Epub 2023 May 24.
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 TiO 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 (V), and impedance spectroscopic analysis (EIS). The champion device yielded a current density (J) of 1.0 mA/cm, V 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.
目前，全球对能源生产的需求很高，主要生产可再生和可持续能源。生物敏化太阳能电池（BSC）在这一领域是一个很好的选择，因为它们的光学和光电性能在近年来得到了发展。在简单性、稳定性和量子效率方面有前景的生物敏化剂之一是菌紫质（bR），它是一种光活性的、含有视黄醛的膜蛋白。在本工作中，我们在光阳极敏化 TiO 太阳能电池中利用了 bR 的突变体 D96N，整合了低成本的碳基组件，包括由 PEDOT（多壁碳纳米管功能化的聚（3,4-亚乙基二氧噻吩））组成的阴极和氢醌/苯醌（HQ/BQ）氧化还原电解质。对光阳极和阴极进行了形貌和化学（SEM、TEM 和拉曼）表征。通过线性扫描伏安法（LSV）、开路电位衰减（V）和阻抗谱分析（EIS）研究了 bR-BSCs 的电化学性能。冠军器件的电流密度（J）为 1.0 mA/cm，V 为 -669 mV，填充因子约为 24%，功率转换效率（PCE）为 0.16%。该 bR 器件是利用碳基材料替代光阳极、阴极和电解质的首批基于生物的太阳能电池之一。这可能降低成本并显著提高器件的可持续性。
