The fusion of highly dynamic and adaptive photosynthetic structures with easily manipulated inorganic materials at nanoscale level might pave the way of new opportunities to develop solar-powered biotechnology for renewable energy production. It was suggested that single-walled Carbon NanoTubes (CNTs) may increase plant photosynthesis in vitro and in situ by transferring energy to photosynthetic reactions (Nat.Mater.2014,13:400-408). The mechanism of this phenomenon is still unclear and the limited number of studies dealing with the CNT interplay with PhotoSynthetic Complexes (PSCs) provide controversial indications about the energy flow within this biohybrid system. Our studies of the CNT effects on the photochemical reactions in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii pointed out that the nanotubes can alter the electron transport of photosystem II and may facilitate the non-radiative loss of excitation energy in antenna complexes. To obtain further insights into these processes, we analysed electro-optical interactions of CNTs with isolated PSCs and supramolecular assemblies with different level of complexity. The possible routes involved in the energy excitation decay in the photosynthetic structures in the studied model systems will be discussed. This work was funded by STM 2018 program of CNR and CNR-RFBR joint research project Lambreva/Rubin 2015-2017.
Analysing the energetic interactions of photosynthetic systems with carbon nanotubes
Lambreva MD;Margonelli A;
2021
Abstract
The fusion of highly dynamic and adaptive photosynthetic structures with easily manipulated inorganic materials at nanoscale level might pave the way of new opportunities to develop solar-powered biotechnology for renewable energy production. It was suggested that single-walled Carbon NanoTubes (CNTs) may increase plant photosynthesis in vitro and in situ by transferring energy to photosynthetic reactions (Nat.Mater.2014,13:400-408). The mechanism of this phenomenon is still unclear and the limited number of studies dealing with the CNT interplay with PhotoSynthetic Complexes (PSCs) provide controversial indications about the energy flow within this biohybrid system. Our studies of the CNT effects on the photochemical reactions in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii pointed out that the nanotubes can alter the electron transport of photosystem II and may facilitate the non-radiative loss of excitation energy in antenna complexes. To obtain further insights into these processes, we analysed electro-optical interactions of CNTs with isolated PSCs and supramolecular assemblies with different level of complexity. The possible routes involved in the energy excitation decay in the photosynthetic structures in the studied model systems will be discussed. This work was funded by STM 2018 program of CNR and CNR-RFBR joint research project Lambreva/Rubin 2015-2017.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
