Bio-nanocomposite photoelectrode composed of the bacteria photosynthetic reaction center entrapped on a nanocrystalline TiO2 matrix

A new kind of bio-nanocomposite photoelectrode was fabricated through direct immobilization of the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center (RC) proteins on a nanocrystalline TiO2 matrix prepared by anodic electrodeposition. The near-infrared (NIR)visible absorption and fluorescence emission spectra displayed that structure and activity of the RC remained unaltered on the nano-TiO2 film surface. High efficient light-harvesting of the NIR light energy by RC contributed to the distinct enhancement of the photoelectric conversion on such nanoporous matrix, which would provide a new strategy to develop versatile biomimic energy convertors or photoelectric sensors.