Photonics and Optoelectronics with Bacteria: Making Materials from Photosynthetic Microorganisms

A critical selection of the recent literature reports on the use of photosynthetic and photoresponsive bacteria as a source of materials for optoelectronics and photonic devices is discussed, together with the applications foreseen in solar energy conversion and storage and light information technologies. The use of both photoactive cellular components and entire living cells is reviewed, aiming to highlight the great conceptual impact of these studies. These studies point out possible deep changes in the paradigm of design, and synthesis of materials and devices for optoelectronics. Although the possible technological impact of this technology is still hard to be predicted, these studies advance the understanding of photonics of living organisms and develop new intriguing concepts in biomaterials research.