Photosensing System Using Photosystem I and Gold Nanoparticle on Graphene Field-Effect Transistor

Abstract

In this study, a light sensor is fabricated based on photosystem I (PSI) and a graphene field-effect transistor (FET) that detects light at a high quantum yield under ambient conditions. We immobilized PSI on a micrometer-sized graphene FET using Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) and measured the I–V characteristics of the modified graphene FET before and after light irradiation. The source–drain current (I sd) increased upon illumination, exhibiting a photoresponsivity of 4.8 × 102 A W–1, and the charge neutrality point of graphene shifted by −12 mV. This system represents the first successful photosensing system based on proteins and a solution-gated graphene FET. The probable mechanism of this negative shift can be explained by the increase in negative charge carriers in graphene induced by a hole trap in the AuNP resulting from electron transfer from the AuNP to PSI. Photoresponses were only observed in the presence of two surface-active agents, n-hexyltrimethylammonium bromide and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, because they caused the formation of a hydrophobic environment on the surface of the graphene. The lipid layer of these agents caused dissociation of ascorbate ions from the graphene sheet, thereby expanding the Debye screening length of the electrolyte solution. The hydrophobic environment above graphene also enhanced hole storage in the AuNP through electron transfer from the AuNP to PSI.

Recent Advances in Biomolecule–Nanomaterial Heterolayer-Based Charge Storage Devices for Bioelectronic Applications

“…Controlling the particle dimension and distribution provides various design alternatives for charge storage characteristics such as current level, hysteresis window, and retention time ( Figure 2 C). Nishiori et al demonstrated a light sensor using photosystem I (PSI) linked to a graphene FET via AuNP [ 74 ]. The drain current increased upon illumination, showing a photoresponsivity of 4.8 × 10 2 AW −1 and a negative shift of the charge neutrality point by −12 mV.…”

Differential Bio‐Optoelectronic Gating of Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes by Varying the Covalent Attachment Residue of a Green Fluorescent Protein

“…[13][14][15] In the case of an optoelectronic system, electronic excitation can be coupled to secondary events such as conductance. [16][17][18][19] Fluorescent proteins (FPs) [4,20] such as green fluorescent protein (GFP) [5] are finding uses outside of their classical cell imaging role as components in molecular electronics such as light-harvesting and energy transfer, [21] light-emitting diodes (LEDs), [22] solid-state protein lasers, [23] and optically gated transistors. [24] Electronic excitation is coupled to charge transfer and light emission as part of the fluorescence photocycle.…”

Photosystem II in bio-photovoltaic devices

“…We will describe only two areas of the pigment-protein complexes application: solar energy conversion and herbicide detection. In addition, one can find other photosystembased electrode applications in scientific literature, e.g., memory devices and light sensors (Nishiori et al 2019, Güzel et al 2020. The first section is a brief description of the PSII structure and its utility for electrochemical applications.…”