Living Materials for Photoconversion from Photosynthetic Microorganisms and Biopolymers

Photosynthetic microorganisms have developed a diverse array of micro/nano structures over billions of years of evolution, finely tuned for interacting with sunlight. Utilizing these specialized structures combined with customized molecules and polymers opens up novel<br/>avenues for creating sustainable materials for optoelectronic and photoelectrochemical devices devices for photoconversion [1].<br/><br/>The following examples will be discussed in the lecture:<br/>i) Photoconverters with photosynthetic bacterial enzymes. Chemical modifications are introduced to boost the performance of hybrid constructs vis-à-vis the native proteins [2] and biocompatible interfaces enable to assemble photoenzymes onto electrodes resulting in active materials for optoelectronics [3].<br/>iii) Intact photosynthetic bacteria [4-6] or microalgae [7] cells used as living materials in photoelectrochemical cells for solar energy conversion.<br/>The lecture will discuss the logic behind designing and synthesizing the biohybrid micro/nano assemblies, highlighting the challenges raised by the controlled functionalization and integration in devices. New concepts for photoresponsive materials and devices can be envisaged by combining the biotechnological production and modification of photosynthetic microorganisms with tailored functional molecules and polymers.<br/><br/>[1] F. Milano, A. Punzi, R. Ragni, M. Trotta, G. M. Farinola Adv. Funct. Mater. 2019, 29, 1805521.<br/>[2] F. Milano, R. R. Tangorra, O. Hassan Omar, R. Ragni, A. Operamolla, A. Agostiano, G. M. Farinola, M. Trotta Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 11019.<br/>[3] M. Di Lauro, S. la Gatta, C. A. Bortolotti, V. Beni, V. Parkula, S. Drakopoulou, M. Giordani, M. Berto, F. Milano, T. Cramer, M. Murgia, A. Agostiano, G. M. Farinola, M. Trotta, F. Biscarini, Adv. Electron. Mater. 2020, 6, 1900888.<br/>[4] G. Buscemi, D. Vona, P. Stufano, R. Labarile, P. Cosma, A. Agostiano, M. Trotta, G. M. Farinola, M. Grattieri, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2022, 14, 26631.<br/>[5] L.D. de Moura Torquato, R.M. Matteucci, P. Stufano, D. Vona, G.M. Farinola, M. Trotta, M.V. Boldrin Zanoni, M. Grattieri, ChemElectroChem 2023 10.1002/celc.202300013.<br/>[6] R. Labarile, D. Vona, M. Varsalona, M. Grattieri, M. Reggente, R. Comparelli, G.M. Farinola, F. Fischer, A.A. Boghossian, M. Trotta. In vivo polydopamine coating of <i>Rhodobacter sphaeroides</i> for enhanced electron transfer. Nano Research, 2024, vol. 17, pp. 875-881<br/>[7] C. Vicente-Garcia, D. Vona, F. Milano, G. Buscemi, M. Grattieri, R. Ragni, and G.M. Farinola ACS<br/>Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c00935 (2024).