PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Bio-based solar cell

Photosynthetic proteins generate electricity rather than biomass

2013-11-21
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Matthias Rögner
Matthias.Roegner@rub.de
49-234-322-3634
Ruhr-University Bochum
Bio-based solar cell Photosynthetic proteins generate electricity rather than biomass Researchers at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) have developed a bio-based solar cell. They embedded the two proteins photosystem 1 and 2, which in plants are responsible of photosynthesis, into complex molecules developed in-house, thus creating an efficient electron current. Headed by Prof Dr Wolfgang Schuhmann from the Department of Analytical Chemistry and Center for Electrochemical Sciences (CES) and Prof Dr Matthias Rögner from the Department of Plant Biochemistry, the team has published a report in the journal "Angewandte Chemie".

Isolating and embedding photosystems

In leaves, the photosystems 1 and 2 utilise light energy very efficiently; this is required for converting carbon dioxide into oxygen and biomass. The Bochum researchers' bio-based solar cell, on the other hand, generates electricity rather than biomass. Prof Rögner's team isolated the two photosystems from thermophilic cyanobacteria that live in a hot spring in Japan. Because of their habitat and behaviour, their photosystems are much more stable than comparable proteins of species that do not occur under extreme environmental conditions. Prof Schuhmann's team developed complex electron-conducting materials, so-called redox hydrogels. The researchers embedded the photosystems into these hydrogels in order to connect them to the electrodes of the photovoltaic cells.

Structure of the bio-based solar cell

The cell is made up of two chambers. In the first chamber, the protein photosystem 2 extracts electrons from water molecules, thus generating oxygen. The electrons migrate through the redox hydrogel to the electrode in the first chamber which is connected to the electrode in the second chamber. The electrode in the second chamber conducts the electrons via a different redox hydrogel onto photosystem 1. There, electrons are passed to oxygen; water is generated. However, the photosystems carry out these processes only if they are powered by light energy. Thus, if exposed to light, there is a continuous electricity flow within the closed system.

Efficiency may be increased

In order to convert solar into electric energy, there must be a potential difference between the two electrodes. The Bochum researchers have established this difference by deploying redox hydrogels with different potentials. The potential difference determines the bio photovoltaic cell's voltage and, consequently, its efficiency. Currently, the bio-based solar cell boasts an efficiency of several nanowatts per square centimetre. "The system may be considered a blue print for the development of semi-artificial and natural cell systems in which photosynthesis is used for the light-driven production of secondary energy carriers such as hydrogen," says Prof Rögner.

### Project funding

The project was funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) as part of the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV (EXC 1069) and by the EU as part of the programmes "CyanoFactory" and "COST Action TD1102 Phototech".

Bibliographic record

T. Kothe, N. Plumeré, A. Badura, M.M. Nowaczyk, D.A. Guschin, M. Rögner, W. Schuhmann (2013): Combination of A Photosystem 1-Based Photocathode and a Photosystem 2-Based Photoanode to a Z-Scheme Mimic for Biophotovoltaic Applications, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201303671

Further information

Prof Dr Wolfgang Schuhmann
Department of Analytical Chemistry – Electroanalytic & Sensors
Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Ruhr-Universität
44780 Bochum
Germany
phone +49/234/32-26200
email: wolfgang.schuhmann@rub.de

Prof Dr Matthias Rögner
Department of Plant Biochemistry
Faculty of Biology and Biochemistry at the Ruhr-Universität
44780 Bochum
Germany
phone +49/234/32-23634
email: Matthias.Roegner@rub.de

Editor: Dr Julia Weiler


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Researchers gain fuller picture of cell protein reactions

2013-11-21
Researchers gain fuller picture of cell protein reactions Unique peptide array technology provides fast, low-cost, label-free method for understanding processes that modulate platelet production Over the past decade, advances in genetic mapping tools have provided ...

Study shows displaying lab costs upfront can save money

2013-11-21
Study shows displaying lab costs upfront can save money Including real-time cost of lab tests in electronic health system could make physicians think twice before ordering them Health care costs continue to go up, and physicians control more ...

High HIV knowledge and risky sexual behavior not associated with HIV testing in young adolescents

2013-11-21
High HIV knowledge and risky sexual behavior not associated with HIV testing in young adolescents Strongest independent predictors of testing include high HIV-related partner communication and being in a committed relationship NEW YORK (November ...

Where and how are fear-related behaviors and anxiety disorders controlled?

2013-11-21
Where and how are fear-related behaviors and anxiety disorders controlled? Using an approach combining in vivo recordings and optogenetic manipulations in mice, the researchers succeeded in showing that the inhibition of parvalbumin-expressing ...

Cincinnati Children's researchers develop first molecular test to diagnose eosinophilic esophagitis

2013-11-21
Cincinnati Children's researchers develop first molecular test to diagnose eosinophilic esophagitis Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have developed the first molecular test to diagnose eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), ...

Early-career investigator discovers current volcanic activity under West Antarctica

2013-11-21
Early-career investigator discovers current volcanic activity under West Antarctica Seismic 'swarms' indicate active magma moving below critical area of Antarctica's ice sheet Scientists funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) have observed "swarms" of seismic ...

MU research sheds light on nerve regeneration following spinal cord injury

2013-11-21
MU research sheds light on nerve regeneration following spinal cord injury COLUMBIA, Mo. – Fish, unlike humans, can regenerate nerve connections and recover normal mobility following an injury to their spinal cord. Now, University of Missouri researchers ...

Infrared vision lets researchers see through -- and into -- multiple layers of graphene

2013-11-21
Infrared vision lets researchers see through -- and into -- multiple layers of graphene Scientists have developed a technique for studying individual sheets of graphene in a stack -- even when the sheets are covering each other up. BUFFALO, N.Y. — It's not X-ray ...

Optimal site for cell transplantation to treat spinal cord injury investigated

2013-11-21
Optimal site for cell transplantation to treat spinal cord injury investigated Putnam Valley, NY. (Nov. 21 2013) – It is known that transplanting neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) into the spinal cord promotes functional recovery ...

License to Ill

2013-11-21
License to Ill Firms that engaged in prior socially responsible behavior are more likely to then engage in socially irresponsible behavior, research finds RIVERSIDE, Calif. — In 2008, the CEO of British Petroleum, Tony Hayward announced that BP's ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Cercus electric stimulation enables cockroach with trajectory control and spatial cognition training

Day-long conference addresses difficult to diagnose lung disease

First-ever cardiogenic shock academy features simulation lab

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

[Press-News.org] Bio-based solar cell
Photosynthetic proteins generate electricity rather than biomass