1 research outputs found
Next Generation Designed Protein as a Photosensitizer for Biophotovoltaics Prepared by Expanding the Genetic Code
We
explored the possibility of generating nonpoisonous, renewable,
low cost and a completely biodegradable photosensitizer for dye-sensitized
solar cells (DSSC) as an alternative to synthetic molecules that involve
expensive, time-consuming tedious synthesis and purification procedures.
Several natural dyes from plants and microbes had successfully been
demonstrated as photosensitizers to develop biosensitized solar cells
(BSSCs). The objective of this work is to develop a next generation
cleaner sensitizer for BSSC using a green fluorescent protein (GFP)
and its designer variant (GFPdopa) through an expanding genetic code
approach. The designer protein showed higher adsorption with TiO<sub>2</sub> surface through oriented immobilization. The nanostructured
layer formed by GFPdopa with TiO<sub>2</sub> resulted in 0.94% level
of photon conversion efficiency with open circuit voltage of 0.60
V, short circuit current of 1.75 mA/cm<sup>2</sup> and fill factor
of 0.88. It is one of the better energy conversion efficiencies obtained
for BSSC when compared to with earlier reported sensitizers generated
through protein and chemical complex synergism. From the results obtained,
it is suggested that designer fluorescent itself can generate similar
photoconversion efficiency and also could serve as an environmental
friendly photosensitizer. The research and efficiency level of BSSC
is in the early stages, and our proof of principle opens a new avenue
to synthesize biologically designer sensitizers for BSSC. It also
could be widely applied to other proteins to develop efficient sensitizers
for BSSC with a green approach