A Photovoltaic Device Using an Electrolyte Containing Photosynthetic Reaction Centers

Arash Takshi, John D.W. Madden, Ali Mahmoudzadeh, Rafael Saer and J. Thomas Beatty
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Arash Takshi: Department of Electrical Engineering, University of South Florida (USF), Tampa, FL 33620, USA
John D.W. Madden: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Advanced Materials & Process Engineering Lab, University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver BC V6T 1Z1, Canada
Ali Mahmoudzadeh: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Advanced Materials & Process Engineering Lab, University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver BC V6T 1Z1, Canada
Rafael Saer: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Advanced Materials & Process Engineering Lab, University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver BC V6T 1Z1, Canada
J. Thomas Beatty: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver BC V6T 1Z1, Canada

Energies, 2010, vol. 3, issue 11, 1-7

Abstract: The performance of bio-photovoltaic devices with a monolayer of the immobilized photosynthetic reaction center (RC) is generally low because of weak light absorption and poor charge transfer between the RC and the electrode. In this paper, a new bio-photovoltaic device is described in which the RC is dissolved in the electrolyte of an electrochemical cell. The charges generated by the illuminated RC are transferred to electrodes via mediators. The difference between the reaction rates of two types of mediator at the electrode surfaces determines the direction of the photocurrent in the device. Experimental results show that the magnitude of the photocurrent is proportional to the incident light intensity, and the current increases nonlinearly with an increase in the RC concentration in the electrolyte. With further optimization this approach should lead to devices with improved light absorption.

Keywords: reaction center; Rhodobacter sphaeroides; mediators; photocurrent; bio-photovoltaic (bio-PV) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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