Extremely robust photocurrent generation of titanium dioxide photoanodes bio-sensitized with recombinant microalgal light-harvesting proteins.

ABSTRACT: Bio-dyes for light harvesting in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) have the advantage of being environmentally-friendly, non-toxic alternatives, which can be produced in a sustainable fashion. Free photosynthetic pigments are unstable in the presence of light and oxygen, a situation which can hardly be avoided during the operation of DSSCs, especially in large-scale applications. We therefore investigated the recombinant light-harvesting protein LHCBM6, which naturally occurs in the photosynthetic apparatus of the green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a bio-dye in DSSCs. Photocurrent densities of up to 0.87 and 0.94 mA·cm^-2 were determined for the DSSCs and solar energy to electricity conversion efficiencies (η) reached about 0.3% (100 mW·cm^-2; AM 1.5 G filter

SUBMITTER: Lammermann N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6376048 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature