Stationary current generated from photocycle of a hybrid bacteriorhodopsin/quantum dot bionanosystem

Bacteriorhodopsin (bR) is a promising biomaterial for broad potential applications in optical and optoelectronic devices. Upon the original photochemical cycle of bR, for the first time we construct a hybrid bR/quantum dot (QD) bionanosystem and a stationary current is generated from the modified photocycle. We propose a model to explain that QDs could act as nanoscaled light sources embedded in bR to assist its generation of a stationary photocurrent, which is completely different from the reported transient spikes from the bR's photocycle. It opens the horizon for optical devices other than those reported up to date. (C) 2007 American Institute of Physics.