preprints.org > physical sciences > applied physics > doi: 10.20944/preprints202002.0157.v1

Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 11 February 2020 / Approved: 12 February 2020 / Online: 12 February 2020 (12:15:48 CET)

Bio-devices are designed to allow biological matter to perform in vitro almost the same functions it performs in vivo. Therefore, they can benefit from the specificities of such materials and are expected to perform better than traditional devices. On the other hand, the integration of biological material with electronic/electrochemical instrumentation requires careful attention and can produce unconventional results. In this paper, we describe the impedance response of an electrochemical cell that converts sunlight into electrical power. It uses the photosynthetic system known as Reaction Center, which is the core of photosynthesis in several living beings. Under illumination, an abrupt transformation drives the cell electrical response from insulator to conductor and a photocurrent is observed. The impedance spectrum shows a peculiar shape which significantly modifies with the protein activation. It has been analyzed by means of a graphical/analytical/ numerical procedure. The modelling identifies an analogue electrical circuit, whose parameters give quantitative information about the underlying process. Finally, an appropriate normalization of data is proposed which validates data in dark and light and can be useful as a fast screening of measurements.

impedance; photo-electrochemical cell; reaction centers

Physical Sciences, Applied Physics

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