Wiring liposomes and chloroplasts to the grid with an electronic polymer.

• Main Author: Jullesson, David
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Linköpings universitet, Biomolekylär och Organisk Elektronik 2013
• Subjects: Bio-solar cell; electro conductive polymer; thylakoid; photosynthetic electron
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-97517

We present a novel thylakoid based bio-solar cell capable of generating a photoelectric current of    0.7 µA/cm2. We have introduced an electro conductive polymer, PEDOT-S, to the thylakoid membrane. PEDOT-S intervenes in the photosynthesis, captures electrons from the electron transport chain and transfers them directly across the thylakoid membrane, thus generating a current. The incorporation of the electro conductive polymer into the thylakoid membrane is therefore vital for the function of the bio-solar cell. A liposomal model system based on liposomes formed by oleic acid was used to develop and study the incorporation of PEDOT-S to fatty acid membranes. The liposomes allow for a more controllable and easily manipulated system compared to the thylakoid membrane. In the model system, PEDOT-S could successfully be incorporated to the membrane, and the developed methods were applied to the real system of thylakoid membranes. We found that a bio-compatible electrolyte and redox couple was required for this system to function. The final thylakoid based bio-solar cell was evaluated according to performance and reproducibility. We found that this bio-solar system can generate a low but reproducible current.