CBE Seminar: Semi-artificial Photosynthesis: From Understanding to Artificially Tuning Photoexcited Electron Harvesting in Living Organisms

Zoom Meeting: https://uci.zoom.us/j/95460875970
Matteo Grattieri

Department of Chemistry
University of Utah
Salt Lake City

Abstract: Coupling of photosynthetic biological entities with electrode surfaces allows for sun energy conversion into electrical (and/or chemical) energy, a process defined as semi-artificial photosynthesis. The application of intact photosynthetic bacterial cells provides all the necessary enzymes and cofactors for photosynthesis, while enhancing stability and functionality thanks to the self-repair mechanisms of microorganisms. The challenge for their application is the harvesting of the photoexcited electrons to an abiotic electrode surface, a process for which little information is available for the great majority of bacterial species.

In this context, the possibility to establish an electrochemical communication between purple bacteria and an electrode is of extreme interest, as their versatile metabolism could enable sunlight-powered monitoring of contaminants, as well as bio-electrosynthetic approaches for sustainable production of valuable chemicals and nanoparticles. 1) During the seminar, pioneering studies of purple bacteria bio-photoelectrocatalysis will be introduced to discuss how the combination of experimental evidence and computational approaches can shed light on this complex topic. (2-4) Following, a bio-inspired artificial approach for enabling and enhancing the harvesting of photoexcited electrons will be presented, (5) taking into consideration its applicability in bio-hybrid photosynthetic systems to be used in the field.

  1. M. Grattieri, Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 19, 424 (2020).
  2. E. M. Gaffney, M. Grattieri, K. Beaver, J. Pham, C. McCartney and S. D. Minteer, Electrochim. Acta, 337, 135731 (2020).
  3. E. M. Gaffney, M. Grattieri, Z. Rhodes and S. D. Minteer, J. Electrochem. Soc., 167, 065502 (2020).
  4. M. Grattieri, Z. Rhodes, D. P. Hickey, K. Beaver and S. D. Minteer, ACS Catal., 9, 867 (2019).
  5. M. Grattieri, S. Patterson, J. Copeland, K. Klunder and S. D. Minteer, ChemSusChem, 13, 230 (2020).

Bio: Grattieri is currently a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Utah, working in the group of Shelley D. Minteer. He focuses on interfacing biological entities with electrodes, and his research interests span the fields of extracellular electron transfer in photosynthetic and halotolerant bacteria, artificial redox mediating systems and biosensors development. Prior to joining the University of Utah, he studied chemistry in Milano (Università Degli Studi di Milano and Politecnico di Milano), and he was a visiting researcher at the University of New Mexico with Plamen Atanassov and at the University of Buenos Aires with Ernesto J. Calvo. Grattieri will soon move to the University of Bari (Italy) as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry.