ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY

CHEMICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING

DIVISION SEMINAR

                                                                       

SPEAKER:       Nikolai Lebedev

                        Naval Research Laboratory

                        Washington, DC

 

TITLE:              New Bio-Inorganic Photo-Electronic

                        Devices Based on Photosynthetic Proteins

 

DATE:              Thursday Morning

                        October 25, 2007

 

TIME:               11:00 am

 

PLACE:            Building 200, J-183

 

HOST:              David Tiede

 

Abstract:  The photosynthetic reaction center (RC) protein is one of the most advanced light sensing and energy converting materials developed by nature. Its coupling with inorganic surfaces is attractive for the identification of the mechanisms of interprotein electron transfer (ET) and for the possible applications for the construction of protein-based innovative photoelectronic and photovoltaic devices. Using genetically engineered bacterial RC proteins and specifically synthesized organic linkers, we were able to construct self-assembled and aligned biomolecular surfaces on various electrodes, including gold, carbon, indium tin oxide (ITO), highly ordered pyrrolytic graphite (HOPG) and carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays. Our results show that, after immobilization on the electrodes, the photosynthetic RC can operate as a highly efficient photosensor, optical switch, and photovoltaic device.