Construction of conducting polymer/cytochrome C/thylakoid membrane based photo-bioelectrochemical fuel cells generating high photocurrent via photosynthesis

Abstract

In this study, a photo-bioelectrochemical fuel cell was constructed for photocurrent generation by illuminating the electrodes within an aqueous solution. In this purpose, gold electrode was coated with poly 4-(4H-Dithieno [3,2-b:2′,3′-d]pyrol-4-yl) aniline, P(DTP-Ph-NH2) conductive polymer film by using electrochemical polymerization. Then, P(DTP-Ph-NH2) conductive polymer film coated surface was electrochemically modified with cytochrome C which covalently linked onto the surface via bis-aniline functionality of the polymer film and formed crosslinked-structure. The thylakoid membrane was attached on the surface of this electrode by using bissulfosaxinimidyl suberate (BS3) and used as photo-anode in photo-bioelectrochemical fuel cell. The photocathode of the photo-bioelectrochemical fuel cell fabrication was followed by the modification of conductive polymer poly[5-(4H-dithieno [3,2-b:2′,3′-d]pyrol-4-yl) naphtalene-1-amine] film coating, glutaraldehyde activation, and bilirubin oxidase enzyme immobilization. During the photosynthesis occurring in thylakoid membrane under the light, water was oxidized and separated, while oxygen was released in anode side, the cathode side was reduced the oxygen gas into the water via a bio-electro-catalytic method. The cytochrome C was used for binding of thylakoid membrane to the electrode surface and play an important role for transferring of electrons released as a result of photosynthesis.