User:Kylercollett/Integrated nanoliter systems

Biohybrid Solar Cell is a light energy converter that uses inorganic materials and a light harvesting protein, a protein complex made up of chlorophyll, that collects photons and turns them into energy. The idea of this type of solar cell came from photosynthesis that different bacteria and plants use in order to create their energy. The discovery of isolating these complex proteins was the first step to making this idea a reality. It has now successfully been done and there are now different types of biohybrid solar cells. The technique and materials used for each are unique and are a new way of looking at solar cells.

How It Works
The biohybrid solar cell first uses the protein complex to turn the photons from the sunlight into electrons. Then since the complex protein is located on top of the working electrode the electrons are directed into the three electrode system. The three electrode system then conducts the electrons, using the electrodes, through the device creating the energy that can then be used. In a biohybrid solar cell these three electrodes; reference electrode, auxiliary electrode, and working electrode, are usually made of metals and silicon.

Materials
The materials used for making the biohybrid solar cells are quite unique and each biohybrid solar cell uses its own technique. How the overall cell works is still the same, but different techniques are used to achieve a greater output of energy. The following materials are used in some biohybrid cells but may not be included in others.
 * ITO(tin-doped indium oxide) coated plastic
 * Copper tape
 * PDMS Spacer
 * Electrolyte Solution
 * Photosystem 1 Multilayer
 * Metal Electrodes
 * Silicon support
 * Back electrode
 * Titanium oxide (TiO2) columns
 * Chlorosomes
 * P3OT-Poly(3-octylthiophene-2,5-diyl)
 * ITO- tin-doped indium oxide
 * Glass
 * Silicon doped with boron atoms

Current Developments
There has been a current breakthrough in making the biohybrid solar cell more efficient. Scientists from Vanderbilt University recently used the light harvesting protein photosytem one from spinach and doped silicon in order to create better conduction. The doping inserts atoms that are positively charged into the silicon. This makes the conduction flow in one direction when the photosystem one solution is placed on top of the silicon which increases the output of energy. The amount of energy outputted from the device is 0.3 volts with 850 microamps of electricity per square centimeters. If this was made into a two foot panel, the amount of energy produced from the device would be enough to power small electrical devices.

Biohybrid Solar Cells vs. Current Solar Cells
Currently the more common use for retrieving solar energy is the model that uses inorganic material. This method works decently however, there are many cons that come with it. First the efficiency of the model at its best is still less than 40%. The cost of the materials used for this method is awfully high. The materials used are incredibly rare metals such as platinum and indium. Now biohybrid solar cells can fix these cons. Biohybrid solar cells use very cheap materials and even some of these materials can be reproduced unlike the materials used in the inorganic design. The efficiency level of photosystem one in the solar cell is practically 100% which could potentially power an extreme amount. However, the amount of energy being produced from this method is not nearly large enough to compete with the other photovoltaic cells.