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3D-printed hierarchical pillar array electrodes for high-performance semi-artificial photosynthesis.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Chen, Xiaolong 
Wey, Laura T 
Schertel, Lukas 
Jing, Qingshen 

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.

Description

Keywords

Electricity, Electrodes, Photosynthesis, Printing, Three-Dimensional, Synechocystis

Journal Title

Nat Mater

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1476-1122
1476-4660

Volume Title

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC
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)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/P024947/1)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/S019367/1)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/R00661X/1)
EPSRC (via University of Manchester) (EP/X527257/1)
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