Fabricación de celdas biosolares a partir de biomasa de microalgas: Doble cosecha de la energía solar para producción de proteínas fotosintéticas y energía fotovoltaica

Current photovoltaic (PV) technology faces challenges for its long-term sustainability, including the lowabundance of raw materials, the energy-intensive processes, hazardous materials and the emission of
greenhouse gas for their manufacturing. New materials that are more environmentally sustainable and
abundant in nature are being integrated in PV technologies, especially in dye-sensitized solar cells
(DSSC). The photosynthetic biomolecule photosystem I (PSI) is a promising light absorber in SSC
technology, due to its chromophores, high quantum yield, abundance, and chemical stability. This project
is the integration of long-term efforts and experiences of two research groups led by women from TEC,
the Microalgae and Biotronics groups, and a world leader in this technology, the group of Dr. Barry Bruce
from University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK). This proposal addresses the production of PSI from
microalgae Arthrospira máxima, the characterization of its optoelectronic properties and the development
of advanced PSI bio-SSCs. The microalgae will be produced in large ponds exposed to natural solar light
in the tropics and their biomass will be extracted by well-developed methods of the Microalgae group.
The extraction, purification and biochemical characterization of PSI will be performed by technology
transfer from UTK to TEC. The optoelectronic properties of the PSI molecule isolated will be characterized
by a state-of-the-art dielectrophoretic method combined with surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy
(SERS) using nanogap electrodes developed by Dr. Leonardo Lesser Rojas from the Universidad de
Costa Rica. The conformation and conductivity of PSI at different states of photoexcitation will be studied
to better understand the photocurrent obtained for the bio-SSC. The Biotronics group will work on the
advancement of the photoanode for the device, by improving the nanostructure of the TiO2 semiconductor
and the method for oriented immobilization of the protein on the semiconductor. The technology
developed in this project aims to perform double harvest of solar energy into renewable energy using
photosynthesis, first to grow the microalgae from wastewater and perform CO2 fixation, and second, for
the generation of photovoltaic energy in the PSI biosolar cells.

Desarrollar dispositivos biofotovoltaico con eficiente transferencia electrónica utilizando la
proteína fotosistema I extraída de microalgas cultivadas en el TEC.

Línea de investigación definidas por la Escuela de Materiales: Caracterización de Materiales y Ensayos
No Destructivos, Nuevos materiales y energías renovables, Tecnologías Avanzadas para el Desarrollo y
Aplicación de Materiales. // Líneas de investigación definidas por la Escuela de Biología: Biotecnología
Ambiental