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Updated: Dec 6, 2025

Author Spotlight: Non-Invasive High-Resolution Measurement of Chlorophyll Synthesis During De-Etiolation
Published on: January 12, 2024
Chloroplast biosolar cell and self-powered herbicide monitoring
Matteo Grattieri1, Hui Chen, Shelley D Minteer
1Department of Chemistry, University of Utah, 315 S 1400 E Rm 2020, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA. minteer@chem.utah.edu.
Abstract:
Utilizing chloroplasts in biosolar cells offers a sustainable approach for sunlight harvesting. However, the limited electrochemical communication between these biological entities and an electrode surface has led to complex device setups, hindering their application in the field. Herein, a cross-linker enables a simple photoanode architecture with enhanced photoexcited electron transfer between chloroplasts and abiotic electrodes. The improved "wiring" of the photosynthetic electron transfer chain resulted in a five-fold increase in the biophotocurrent. The biophotoanode is applied in a Pt-free, portable biosolar cell allowing the in situ self-powered monitoring of diuron within limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
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