Begonia-Inspired Slow Photon Effect of a Photonic Crystal for Augmenting Algae Photosynthesis

Abstract

Plant photosynthesis is considered to be an environmentally friendly and effective measure for reducing carbon dioxide levels to meet the global objective of carbon neutrality. However, the light energy utilization of photosynthetic pigments is insufficient. Begonia pavonine (B. pavonina) with blue leaves exhibits a photosynthetic quantum yield 10% higher than those of other plants by virtue of their photonic crystal (PC) thylakoids. Inspired by this property, we prepared non-angle-dependent PC hydrogels and assembled them with algae Chlorella pyrenoidosa (C. pyre). The band edge of PC hydrogels matched the absorption peaks of C. pyre, and the resulting slow photon effect increased the interaction time between incident light and photosynthetic pigments, which in turn induced the expression of light-harvesting proteins and the synthesis of pigments, thereby improving the light energy utilization. Further, we introduced an artificial antenna into the assembly, which assisted the slow photon effect in increasing the oxygen evolution and carbon sequestration rate by more than 200%. This method avoids the photobleaching problems faced by methods of synthesizing artificial antenna pigments and the biosafety problems faced by genetically engineered methods of editing pigments or proteins.

Visible Mie resonances in dielectric hollow spheres: Principle, regulation, and applications

“…For instance, by coupling photocatalyst materials into photonic crystal structures, light absorption can be significantly enhanced by the slow photon effect when the band edge of the photonic crystal and the absorption peak of photocatalyst was matched (Figure 7a left). [70][71][72] In another scenario, localized surface plasmon resonances are shown to be capable to enhance nearfields which increases charge separation efficiency (Figure 7a middle). This effect has been frequently demonstrated by composite photocatalysts of plasmonic and semiconducting nanostructures.…”

“…Recently, optical resonances have been proved to be beneficial for improving the photocatalytic performance of catalysts by increasing light absorption efficiency and enhancement of charge separation. For instance, by coupling photocatalyst materials into photonic crystal structures, light absorption can be significantly enhanced by the slow photon effect when the band edge of the photonic crystal and the absorption peak of photocatalyst was matched (Figure 7a left) [70–72] . In another scenario, localized surface plasmon resonances are shown to be capable to enhance near‐fields which increases charge separation efficiency (Figure 7a middle).…”

A structural color hydrogel for diagnosis of halitosis and screening of periodontitis

“…21,[26][27][28] However, these methods have certain limitations such as the tendency of dye molecules to undergo photobleaching under prolonged light exposure, the intricacy involved in synthesizing fluorescent probe molecules, and their susceptibility to fluorescence quenching. 29,30 To promote the point-of-care testing (POCT) of VSCs, an easy-to-use and low-cost sensing method with high sensitivity is desired.…”

Organic Semiconducting Polymers for Augmenting Biosynthesis and Bioconversion

“…As the most abundant and sustainable source, enhancing the conversion and utilization of solar energy will play a role in the photosynthesis of photosynthetic organisms. ,− Photosynthesis is the process that occurs over a wide range of solar light wavelengths, by which plants, algae, and some bacteria convert solar energy into chemical energy. However, the absorption spectra of natural light-absorbing species are limited to certain regions of the absorption spectrum because most photosynthetic pigments absorb light most efficiently at specific wavelengths (Figure a) .…”