Engineering a Robust Photovoltaic Device with Quantum Dots and Bacteriorhodopsin
Author(s)
Renugopalakrishnan, Venkatesan; Barbiellini, Bernardo; King, Chris; Molinari, Michael; Mochalov, Konstantin; Sukhanova, Alyona; Nabiev, Igor; Fojan, Peter; Tuller, Harry L.; Chin, Michael; Somasundaran, Ponisseril; Padros, Esteve; Ramakrishna, Seeram; ... Show more Show less
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We present a route toward a radical improvement in solar cell efficiency using resonant energy transfer and sensitization of semiconductor metal oxides with a light-harvesting quantum dot (QD)/bacteriorhodopsin (bR) layer designed by protein engineering. The specific aims of our approach are (1) controlled engineering of highly ordered bR/QD complexes; (2) replacement of the liquid electrolyte by a thin layer of gold; (3) highly oriented deposition of bR/QD complexes on a gold layer; and (4) use of the Forster resonance energy transfer coupling between bR and QDs to achieve an efficient absorbing layer for dye-sensitized solar cells. This proposed approach is based on the unique optical characteristics of QDs, on the photovoltaic properties of bR, and on state-of-the-art nanobioengineering technologies. It permits spatial and optical coupling together with control of hybrid material components on the bionanoscale. This method paves the way to the development of the solid-state photovoltaic device with the efficiency increased to practical levels.
Date issued
2014-05Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and EngineeringJournal
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Citation
Renugopalakrishnan, Venkatesan, Bernardo Barbiellini, Chris King, Michael Molinari, Konstantin Mochalov, Alyona Sukhanova, Igor Nabiev, et al. “Engineering a Robust Photovoltaic Device with Quantum Dots and Bacteriorhodopsin.” The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 118, no. 30 (July 31, 2014): 16710–16717. © 2014 American Chemical Society
Version: Final published version
ISSN
1932-7447
1932-7455