Construction of Efficient Bio-Electrochemical Devices; An Improved Electricity Production from Cyanobacterium (Leptolyngbia sp.) Based on π-Conjugated Conducting Polymers/Gold Nanoparticles Composite Interfaces.

In this study, gold electrodes (GE) were coated with conducting polymers to obtain high photocurrent using cyanobacteria from a novel bio-electrochemical fuel cell. For this purpose, an electropolymerization process was carried out by using 4- (4H-Dithieno [3,2-b: 2 ', 3'-d] pyrrol-4-yl) aniline, 5-(4H-dithieno [3,2-b:2,'3'-d]pyrol-4-yl) naphtalene-1-amine, monomers onto the gold electrodes. After that, gold nanoparticles (AuNP) were specifically modified by 2-mercaptoethane sulfonic acid and p-aminothiophenol in order attach to the electrode surface. The conducting polymers coated GE was modified with functionalized AuNP using a cross-linker. The resulting electrode structures were characterized by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry under on-off illumination using a fiber optic light source. Cyanobacteria Leptolyngbia sp. was added to the GE/Conducting polymer/AuNP electrode surface and stabilized by using a cellulose membrane. During the illumination the water was oxidized by the photosynthesis, and the oxygen is released. The released oxygen was electro-catalytically reduced at the cathode surface and a 25 nA cm-2 photocurrent was observed by GE/Leptolyngbia sp.. After the electrode modifications, a significant improvement in the photocurrent up to 630 nA cm-2 was achieved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.