A5011062089- Microbial Fuel Cells and Bioremediation
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Algal biology and biofuel production
- Electrochemical sensors and biosensors
- Electrochemical Analysis and Applications
- Light effects on plants
- Diatoms and Algae Research
- Photovoltaic Systems and Sustainability
- Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
- Supercapacitor Materials and Fabrication
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Solar-Powered Water Purification Methods
- Energy Harvesting in Wireless Networks
- Fermentation and Sensory Analysis
- CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
- Micro and Nano Robotics
- Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Analytical Chemistry and Sensors
- Magnetic and Electromagnetic Effects
- Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology
- Wastewater Treatment and Reuse
- Plant Surface Properties and Treatments
- Gene Regulatory Network Analysis
University of Cambridge
2016-2025
University of Milan
2019-2022
Imperial College London
2022
Ca' Foscari University of Venice
2020
University of Bath
2010
Queen Mary University of London
2008
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano
2003
Instituto di Biofisica
2003
National Research Council
2003
Biophotovoltaics has emerged as a promising technology for generating renewable energy because it relies on living organisms inexpensive, self‐repairing, and readily available catalysts to produce electricity from an abundant resource: sunlight. The efficiency of biophotovoltaic cells, however, remained significantly lower than that achievable through synthetic materials. Here, platform is devised harness the large power densities afforded by miniaturized geometries. To this effect,...
In this review we focus on a specific sub-branch of light-harvesting bioelectrochemical systems called biophotovoltaic systems.
Microbial fuel cells are an emerging technology for converting organic substrates into electrical power. Recent research has shown that biofilms of some bacterial species capable self-mediated extracellular electron transfer. The prospect exploiting this trait in photoautotrophic microbes do not require substrate important implications the future development renewable solar energy technologies. Here we report on light-driven power generated with grown from photosynthetic fresh water or...
Recent advances in fuel cell (FC) and microbial (MFC) research have demonstrated these electrochemical technologies as effective methods for generating electrical power from chemical fuels organic compounds. This led to the development of MFC-inspired photovoltaic (BPV) devices that produce by harvesting solar energy through biological activities photosynthetic organisms. We describe fabrication a BPV device with multiple microchannels. allows direct comparison between sub-cellular...
Abstract Microbial biophotovoltaic cells exploit the ability of cyanobacteria and microalgae to convert light energy into electrical current using water as source electrons. Such bioelectrochemical systems have a clear advantage over more conventional microbial fuel which require input organic carbon for growth. However, innovative approaches are needed address scale-up issues associated with fabrication inorganic (electrodes) biological (microbe) parts device. Here we demonstrate...
Factors governing the photoelectrochemical output of photosynthetic microorganisms are poorly understood, and energy loss may occur due to inefficient electron transfer (ET) processes. Here, we systematically compare photoelectrochemistry photosystem II (PSII) protein-films cyanobacteria biofilms derive: (i) losses in light-to-charge conversion efficiencies, (ii) gains photocatalytic longevity, (iii) insights into ET mechanism at biofilm interface. This study was enabled by use...
Abstract Agrivoltaics describes concurrent agricultural production of crops and photovoltaic generation electricity on the same cropland. By using tinted semi‐transparent solar panels, this study introduces a novel element to transform concept agrivoltaics from just solar‐sharing selective utilization different light wavelengths. Agrivoltaic growth basil spinach is tested. When compared with classical agriculture, based feed‐in‐tariff experimental location, agrivoltaic co‐generation biomass...
Some photosynthetically active bacteria transfer electrons across their membranes, generating electrical photocurrents in biofilms. Devices harvesting solar energy by this mechanism are currently limited the charge to electrode. Here, we report enhancement of bioelectrochemical photocurrent using electrodes with porosities on nanometre and micrometre length scale. For cyanobacteria Nostoc punctiforme Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 structured indium-tin-oxide electrodes, an increase current...
A photosynthesis-driven biophotovoltaic system with an Al-anode powered a microprocessor widely used in IoT applications stably for over six months.
Bio-photovoltaic cells (BPVs) are a new photo-bio-electrochemical technology for harnessing solar energy using the photosynthetic activity of autotrophic organisms. Currently power outputs from BPVs generally low and suffer efficiencies. However, better understanding electrochemical interactions between microbes conductive materials will be likely to lead increased yields. In current study, fresh-water, filamentous cyanobacterium Pseudanabaena limnetica (also known as Oscillatoria limnetica)...
Biological photo-voltaic systems are a type of microbial fuel cell employing photosynthetic microbes at the anode, enabling direct transduction light energy to electrical power. Unlike anaerobic bacteria found in conventional cells that use metals environment as terminal electron acceptors, oxygenic organisms poorly adapted for transfer out cell. Mutant strains cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 were created which all combinations three respiratory oxidase complexes had been...
This study focuses on porous ceramics as a promising new type of anode material for photo-microbial fuel cells (p-MFCs). The anodes were made from titanium dioxide and chemical vapour deposition was used to coat them with layer fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) make conducting. Chlorella vulgaris biofilms grown in the millimetre sized pores ceramic electrodes, producing an extensive extra cellular matrix that anchored directly electrode surface. In contrast algal carbon felt appeared misshapen...
Abstract Reducing excessive light harvesting in photosynthetic organisms may increase biomass yields by limiting photoinhibition and increasing penetration dense cultures. The cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 harvests via the phycobilisome, which consists of an allophycocyanin core six radiating rods, each with three phycocyanin (PC) discs. Via targeted gene disruption alterations to promoter region, mutants two (pcpcT→C) one (ƊCpcC1C2:pcpcT→C) PC discs per rod or lacking (olive)...
Cyanobacteria are intricately organized, incorporating an array of internal thylakoid membranes, the site photosynthesis, into cells no larger than other bacteria. They also synthesize C15-C19 alkanes and alkenes, which results in substantial production hydrocarbons environment. All sequenced cyanobacteria encode hydrocarbon biosynthesis pathways, suggesting important, undefined physiological role for these compounds. Here, we demonstrate that hydrocarbon-deficient mutants Synechococcus sp....
Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) represent an emerging technology that uses heterotrophic microbes to convert organic substrates into fuel products, such as hydrogen gas (H2). The recent development of biophotovoltaic (BPVs), which use autotrophic produce electricity with only light a substrate, raises the possibility exploiting similar systems harness photosynthesis drive production H2. In current study we explore capacity cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 generate electrons by...
Plant microbial fuel cells are a recently developed technology that exploits photosynthesis in vascular plants by harnessing solar energy and generating electrical power. In this study, the model moss species Physcomitrella patens , other environmental samples of mosses, have been used to develop non-vascular bryophyte cell (bryoMFC). A novel three-dimensional anodic matrix was successfully created characterized further tested bryoMFC determine capacity mosses generate The importance...
In this work graphene-based aerogel anodes and graphene/stainless steel cathodes have been optimised as platinum-free electrodes in <italic>Rhodopseudomonas palustris</italic> microbial fuel cells, achieving a maximum power output of ∼3.5 W m<sup>−3</sup>.
Synthetic biology research and its industrial applications rely on deterministic spatiotemporal control of gene expression. Recently, electrochemical expression has been demonstrated in electrogenetic systems (redox-responsive promoters used alongside redox inducers electrodes), allowing for the direct integration electronics with biological processes. However, use is limited by poor activity, tunability, standardization. In this work, we developed a strong, unidirectional, redox-responsive...
Adaptive mechanisms in bacteria, which are widely assumed to be haploid or partially diploid, thought rely on the emergence of spontaneous mutations lateral gene transfer from a reservoir pre-existing variants within surrounding environment. These then become fixed population upon exposure selective pressures. Here, we show that multiple distinct wild-type (WT) substrains highly polyploid cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 can adapt rapidly potent herbicide methyl viologen (MV)....