Wydział Fizyki (WF)/Faculty of Physics

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Purple bacteria reaction centers in photovoltaic applications
(2021) Białek, Rafał; Gibasiewicz, Krzysztof. Promotor
Nature had billions of years to optimize the processes occurring in living organisms, which makes it a perfect example to follow and source of inspiration for humanity for centuries. One of this examples is photosynthesis, whose first steps are nothing else but the conversion of light energy to the flow of electrons (electrical current). One of the strategies to utilize Nature’s optimization achievement is to isolate photosynthetic proteins and use them as photoactive material in biohybrid photovoltaic devices. In this thesis, the focus is put on the understanding of the operation of Rhodobacter sphaeroides reaction centers (RCs) with possible applications in biohybrid photoelectrochemical devices. First biohybrid system presented in this work is based on TiO2 mesoporous layer as a substrate for RCs immobilization. It resulted in relatively low photocurrents, but generated in both cathodic and anodic ways. Second studied system is a redox-active hydrogel (built with Os-complex based polymers) with embedded RCs. This was characterized by generation of photocurrent with significant internal quantum efficiency (). To summarize, work presented in this thesis contributed to understanding of the operation of biohybrid devices, which along with work of other researchers in the field, might create a fully understood picture of it in the future.