Mediated approaches to Photosystem I-based biophotovoltaics

The abundant photosynthetic protein Photosystem I (PSI) achieves 1.1 V charge separation with nearly perfect quantum yield. Researchers from around the world have extracted PSI from photosynthetic organisms for use in biohybrid photoelectrochemical systems. To this end, PSI has been paired with a host of conductive matrices for progressively more effective energy conversion based on mediated approaches to protein-electrode charge exchange. In this review, we highlight the use of films containing PSI for direct solar energy conversion in electrochemical and solid-state arrangements. We emphasize recent advances in pairing PSI proteins with both ion- and electron-conducting polymer scaffolds.