Abstract
The recent advances in photocatalysis have opened a variety of new possibilities for energy and biomedical applications. In particular, plasmonic photocatalysis using hybridization of semiconductor materials and metal nanoparticles has recently facilitated the rapid progress in enhancing photocatalytic efficiency under visible or solar light. One critical underlying aspect of photocatalysis is that it generates and releases reactive oxygen species (ROS) as intermediate or final products upon light excitation or activation. Although plasmonic photocatalysis overcomes the limitation of UV irradiation, synthesized metal/semiconductor nanomaterial photocatalysts often bring up biohazardous and environmental issues. In this respect, this review article is centered in identifying natural photosensitizing organic materials that can generate similar types of ROS as those of plasmonic photocatalysis. In particular, we propose the idea of plasmonic photocatalyst-like fluorescent proteins for ROS generation under visible light irradiation. We recapitulate fluorescent proteins that have Type I and Type II photosensitization properties in a comparable manner to plasmonic photocatalysis. Plasmonic photocatalysis and protein photosensitization have not yet been compared systemically in terms of ROS photogeneration under visible light, although the phototoxicity and cytotoxicity of some fluorescent proteins are well recognized. A comprehensive understanding of plasmonic photocatalyst-like fluorescent proteins and their potential advantages will lead us to explore new environmental, biomedical, and defense applications.
Highlights
Photocatalysis has extensively been used in a variety of applications, including energy generation, environment remediation, and biomedicine, as mentioned in numerous review articles on photocatalysis [1–8]
Nontoxic organic photosensitizers could potentially be an excellent alternative to noble metal nanoparticles (mNPs)-based plasmonic photocatalysts, as photosensitization has a great similarity with visible light-driven plasmonic photocatalysis
We introduce plasmonic photocatalyst-like fluorescent proteins for reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation upon visible light activation
Summary
Photocatalysis has extensively been used in a variety of applications, including energy generation, environment remediation, and biomedicine, as mentioned in numerous review articles on photocatalysis [1–8]. One of the important aspects of photocatalysis is photoinduced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which often have direct applications for environment remediation and biomedicine, such as disinfection, water purification, and air purification Typical semiconductor photocatalysts, such as titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO), were extensively studied for efficient and stable photogeneration of ROS [1–6, 22]. Noble metals (e.g. Ag, Au, and Pt) have some drawbacks, including rarity, high cost, and easy dissolution (especially for Ag) upon exposure to air or humidity In this respect, nontoxic organic photosensitizers (e.g. natural dyes or proteins) could potentially be an excellent alternative to noble mNP-based plasmonic photocatalysts, as photosensitization has a great similarity with visible light-driven plasmonic photocatalysis. An enhanced understanding of plasmonic photocatalysis and fluorescent protein photosensitization will allow us to take advantage of ROS generated from light-induced fluorescent proteins for unexplored environmental, biomedical, and defense applications
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