Spotlight Publication: “Photosystem I Enhances the Efficiency of a Natural, Gel-Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell” published in ACS Applied Bio Materials
“Photosystem I Enhances the Efficiency of a Natural, Gel-Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell” published in ACS Applied Bio Materials has been selected as a VINSE spotlight publication.
About the author: Joshua Passantino is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering under the direction of Dr. Kane Jennings and also works with Dr. David Cliffel in Chemistry. Joshua studies the utilization of the photosynthetic protein, Photosystem I (PSI), for photo-bioelectrochemical applications for the next generation of solar energy conversion materials. In recently published work carried out with the assistance of VINSE summer NSF REU student, Keiann Simon, he developed a biohybrid photovoltaic solar cell using renewable and inexpensive materials including spinach-derived PSI, blackberry-derived sensitizing dye, and copper. The inclusion of PSI boosted the overall instantaneous conversion efficiency from 0.18% to 0.30%, resulting in one of the highest performing PSI-integrated biohybrid devices to date, bringing biohybrid photovoltaics one step closer to commercial viability.