Bacterial photobiohybrids and photosynthesis: Optimizing energy harvesting with bacterial-semiconductor hybrids

Bacterial photobiohybrids and photosynthesis: Optimizing energy harvesting with bacterial-semiconductor hybrids

Photosynthesis serves as the primary mechanism for converting solar energy into chemical energy and plays a pivotal role in regulating atmospheric oxygen levels and carbon dioxide concentrations, influencing global climate patterns as a result. Traditional photosynthetic pigments, such as chlorophyll, can only absorb specific regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, leaving a significant span of wavelengths of light unutilized. The solar energy-conversion efficiency of photosynthesis typically reaches a maximum of ~6%; however, some plants exhibit efficiencies lower than 1%, depending on the type of organism, environmental conditions, and the specific metabolic pathway involved. While photosynthesis has relatively low efficiency compared to some human-made solar energy technologies, it plays a crucial role in sustaining life on Earth by providing the primary source of energy for most ecosystems.