Abstract
Photosynthesis converts solar energy to electricity in a highly efficient manner. Since only water is needed as fuel for energy conversion, this highly efficient energy conversion process has been rigorously investigated. In particular, photosynthetic apparatus, such as photosystem II (PSII), photosystem I (PSI), or thylakoids, have been isolated from various plants to construct bio-hybrid anodes. Although PSII or PSI decorated anodes have shown potentials, there still remain challenges, such as poor stability of PSII-based systems or need for electron donors other than water molecules of PSI-based systems. Thylakoid membranes are relatively stable after isolation and they contain all the necessary photosynthetic apparatus including the PSII and PSI. To increase electrical connections between thylakoids and anodes, nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes, nanowires, nanoparticles, or graphene have been employed. However, since they rely on the secondary electrical connections between thylakoids and anodes; it is desired to achieve larger direct contacts between them. Here, we aimed to develop micro-pillar (MP) array anodes to maximize direct contact with thylakoids. The thylakoid morphology was analyzed and the MP array was designed to maximize direct contact with thylakoids. The performance of MP anodes and a photosynthetic fuel cell based on MP electrodes was demonstrated and analyzed.
Highlights
Plant photosynthesis generates photosynthetic electrons (PEs) by splitting water into protons, oxygen, and electrons with the aid of solar energy
Solar photons energize the PEs and excite them to a higher energy level, and PEs are transferred through various photosynthetic apparatus in thylakoid membranes with a series of redox reactions (Figure 1)
The poor stability of the isolated Photosystem II (PSII) complexes or need for additional electron donors other than water for Photosystem I (PSI)-based systems still remain as challenges for their further development
Summary
Plant photosynthesis generates photosynthetic electrons (PEs) by splitting water into protons, oxygen, and electrons with the aid of solar energy. Photosystem II (PSII) have been isolated from plant cells and experimented to assess the feasibility as a stand-alone molecular complex that can continuously split water molecules and generated PEs [3,4,5]. Photosystem I (PSI)-based systems demonstrated stable and enhanced performance as bio-solar energy systems with various anode materials [6,7,8]. The poor stability of the isolated PSII complexes or need for additional electron donors other than water for PSI-based systems still remain as challenges for their further development. Direct extraction of PEs from living algal cells by nanoelectrode insertion was demonstrated with high efficiency and long-term stability [9,10]. The difficulty of scale-up of this approach needs to be further investigated
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