University of Pennsylvania researchers have developed biological molecules that can be directly integrated into electronic circuits that operate in open-air environments. Their work was published in the journal ACS Nano.
The development involves artificial proteins, bundles of peptide helices with a photoactive molecule inside. These proteins are arranged on electrodes, which are common feature of circuits that transmit electrical charges between metallic and non-metallic elements. When light is shined on the proteins, they convert photons into electrons and pass them to the electrode.
“It’s a similar mechanism to what happens when plants absorb light, except in that case the electron is used for some chemistry that creates energy for the plant,” Dawn Bonnell, director of the Nano/Bio Interface Center said. “In this case, we want to use the electron in electrical circuits.”