Power Scavenging and Optical Absorbance Analysis of Photosynthetically Active Protoplasts

Abstract

Plants and photosynthetic bacteria hold protein molecular complexes that can efficiently harvest photons. This article presents fundamental studies to harness photochemical activities of photosynthetically active protoplast extracted from Arabidopsis plants. The conversion of photonic energy into electrical energy was characterized in the presence and absence of light. The photoinduced reactions of photosynthesis were measured using a patch clamp measurement system at a constant voltage. The optical characterization was also performed on the extracted protoplast. It showed absorption bands at a number of wavelengths. The current–voltage measurements done on protoplast extracts showed two orders of magnitude increase in current from dark to light conditions. The absorbance measurements showed very large bandwidth for extracted protoplasts. The analysis of the optical data measurements showed that protein complexes obtained from photosynthetic cells overcame the limitation of traditional organic solar cells that cannot absorb light in the visible-near infrared spectrum. The demonstration of electrical power scavenging from the protoplast of the plant can open avenues for bio–inspired and bio-derived power with better quantum electrical efficiency.