3D-printed hierarchical pillar array electrodes for high-performance semi-artificial photosynthesis.
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Authors
Chen, Xiaolong
Wey, Laura T
Schertel, Lukas
Jing, Qingshen
Publication Date
2022-03-07Journal Title
Nat Mater
ISSN
1476-1122
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Type
Article
This Version
AM
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Chen, X., Lawrence, J., Wey, L. T., Schertel, L., Jing, Q., Vignolini, S., Howe, C., et al. (2022). 3D-printed hierarchical pillar array electrodes for high-performance semi-artificial photosynthesis.. Nat Mater https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-022-01205-5
Abstract
The rewiring of photosynthetic biomachineries to electrodes is a forward-looking semi-artificial route for sustainable bio-electricity and fuel generation. Currently, it is unclear how the electrode and biomaterial interface can be designed to meet the complex requirements for high biophotoelectrochemical performance. Here we developed an aerosol jet printing method for generating hierarchical electrode structures using indium tin oxide nanoparticles. We printed libraries of micropillar array electrodes varying in height and submicrometre surface features, and studied the energy/electron transfer processes across the bio-electrode interfaces. When wired to the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, micropillar array electrodes with microbranches exhibited favourable biocatalyst loading, light utilization and electron flux output, ultimately almost doubling the photocurrent of state-of-the-art porous structures of the same height. When the micropillars' heights were increased to 600 µm, milestone mediated photocurrent densities of 245 µA cm-2 (the closest thus far to theoretical predictions) and external quantum efficiencies of up to 29% could be reached. This study demonstrates how bio-energy from photosynthesis could be more efficiently harnessed in the future and provide new tools for three-dimensional electrode design.
Sponsorship
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/R011923/1)
European Research Council (639526)
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/M011194/1)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/P007767/1)
Embargo Lift Date
2022-09-07
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-022-01205-5
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/334792
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