In University of Michigan, researchers have
developed a powerful microscope that can map
how light energy migrates in photosynthetic
bacteria on timescales of one-quadrillionth of a
second. The microscope could help researchers
develop more efficient organic photovoltaic
materials, a type of solar cell that could provide
cheaper energy than silicon-based solar cells.
The microscope could help researchers develop
more efficient organic photovoltaic materials, a
type of solar cell that could provide cheaper
energy than silicon-based solar cells.
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In
photosynthetic plants and bacteria, light hits the
leaf or bacteria and a system of tiny lightharvesting
antennae shuttle it along through
proteins to what's called a reaction center. Here,
light is "trapped" and turned into metabolic
energy for the organisms.
Jennifer Ogilvie, U-M
professor of physics and biophysics, and her
team want to capture the movement of this light
energy through proteins in a cell, and the team
has taken one step toward that goal in developing
this microscope.
Their study has been published
in Nature Communications.
Reference: Nature Communication, University of
Michigan
