Enhanced interfacial electron transfer between semiconductor and non-photosynthetic microorganism under visible light

Under visible light, non-photosynthetic microorganism/semiconductor has recently shown promising applications in biofuel production, bioenergy generation and pollutant removal. However, the understanding of electron transfer mechanism at the biotic-abiotic interface is limited. Herein, mixed culture/carbon nitride and pure culture (Stenotrophomonas maltophilia HP14)/carbon nitride were constructed to reveal the energy conversion pathway under visible light. Enhanced electron transfer was observed on the biotic-abiotic interface. The photocurrent of non-photosynthetic S. maltophilia HP14/g-C₃N₄/ITO with riboflavin addition was 10.2-fold higher than that of g-C₃N₄/ITO control. As the electron donor, S. maltophilia HP14 transfer bio-electrons to self-secreted riboflavin and valence band of semiconductor. Riboflavin (RF) accept bio-electrons and photogenerated electrons to form 1,5-dihydroflavin (RFH₂). While RFH₂ is able to transfer electrons to the valence band of carbon nitride and transform into RF again. However, riboflavin is not stable under visible light irradiation, which may lead to a decreased photocurrent. This study demonstrated the role of redox active compounds at the microorganism/semiconductor interface and described a possibility for non-photosynthetic microorganisms to capture and utilize visible light.