Integration of Photosystem I with Graphene Oxide for Photocurrent Enhancement

Photosystem I is a photoactive membrane protein used in nature to photo‐excite electrons with nearly unit internal quantum efficiency, sparking interest in using this biomaterial for solar energy conversion. Films of PSI deposited on p‐doped silicon have previously demonstrated significant photocurr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advanced energy materials 2014-06, Vol.4 (9), p.np-n/a
Main Authors: LeBlanc, Gabriel, Winter, Kevin M., Crosby, William B., Jennings, G. Kane, Cliffel, David E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomaterials
bionanotechnology
composite materials
electrodes
Graphene
Oxides
Performance enhancement
photochemistry
Photocurrent
Photoelectric effect
Quantum efficiency
solar cells
Solar energy
Surgical implants
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Summary:Photosystem I is a photoactive membrane protein used in nature to photo‐excite electrons with nearly unit internal quantum efficiency, sparking interest in using this biomaterial for solar energy conversion. Films of PSI deposited on p‐doped silicon have previously demonstrated significant photocurrents with an electrochemical mediator; however, improvement in electron transfer is needed. Here, it is investigated how PSI can be combined with graphene oxide (GO) or reduced graphene oxide (RGO) to generate composite films capable of improved photoelectrochemical performance. It is found that both composite films outperformed the PSI film alone, and the PSI‐GO composite film is found to perform the best. The enhancement is attributed to the decreased impedance and shift in the onset potential of the composite films. An abundant material from plants, photosystem I (PSI), is combined with graphene oxide (GO) or reduced graphene oxide (RGO) to generate composite films capable of improved photoelectrochemical performance on a p‐doped silicon substrate.
ISSN:1614-6832
1614-6840
DOI:10.1002/aenm.201301953