Photocurrent generation by adsorption of two main pigments of Halobacterium salinarum on TiO₂ nanostructured electrode

Abstract

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), which are proposed as a substitute for silicon crystalline solar cells, have received considerable attention in the recent decade. They could be produced from inexpensive materials through low-cost processes. In the current work, a bio-sensitized solar cell is designed using abundant, cheap, and nontoxic materials. Bacteriorhodopsin and bacterioruberin are two natural biomolecules found in the cytoplasmic membrane of Halobacterium salinarum. These two pigments were immobilized on nanoporous titanium dioxide films successfully and employed as molecular sensitizers in DSSC with efficient photocurrent generation. The photovoltaic performance of DSSCs based on bacteriorhodopsin and bacterioruberin sensitizers was investigated. Under AM1.5 irradiation a short-circuit current of 0.45 mA cm(-2) , open circuit voltages of 0.57 V, fill factor of 0.62, and an overall energy conversion efficiency of 0.16% are achieved by employing a mixture of biomolecules as a sensitizer.

Dye sensitized solar cells based on Antarctic Hymenobacter sp. UV11 dyes

“…They have showed efficiency values up to 2% (Calogero et al 2012;Shalini et al 2015), but recently the use of bacterial pigments has also been studied. The information supports that bacterial dyes have the potential to be used for manufacturing DSSC (Órdenes-Aenishanslins et al 2016;Molaeirad et al 2015;Fu et al 2014).…”

Bio-nano hybrid materials based on bacteriorhodopsin: Potential applications and future strategies

“…Biomolecule-sensitized solar cells (BSSCs) have been developed as a promising "green" technology for low-cost photovoltaic power generation [41][42][43]. The mechanism of BSSCs is very similar to dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).…”

“…In contrast to conventional DSSCs that use expensive and toxic ruthenium complexes, bR-based BSSCs employ a low cost, renewable, environment friendly, and non-carcinogenic without any disposal problems as light harvesters [42,43].…”

<p>Biomedical Applications of TiO₂ Nanostructures: Recent Advances</p>

“…8 This multidisciplinary research field has great potential in the development of improved medical engineering. 1,10 Several nanostructures with unique properties have been fabricated by nanotechnology for biotechnological applications, 1,2,6,8,9,[11][12][13][14] among which, nano-sized titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) has been widely used. The element of titanium was first discovered in 1791 by William Gregor.…”

“…18 Nanostructured TiO 2 has broad potential applications due to their nanosized features, low toxicity, good biocompatibility, intrinsic properties and versatile fabrication techniques. 11,12 For example, nanostructured arrays composed of TiO 2 nanotube wall, including Ag 2 O and Cu NPs, are ideal candidates for biomedical applications such as antibacterial surface coating. Additionally, they have good cytocompatibility, and are useful for osteoblast cell spreading, proliferation and differentiation.…”