Objective In a solar cell that converts energy as efficient as the natural plant photosystems, electrons should travel over very short distances, through an extremely ordered structure free of traps. Guided by these principles that were worked out at WIS and CUNY, we want to synthesize many different peptides, and consecutively screen variants thereof for a putative diode function. When linked to light-harvesting building blocks, these should yield a novel type of solar cell that is based on biomimetic principles. To achieve these goals, UPC will chemically synthesize a panel of artificial building blocks that are designed to harvest light and/or tunnel electrons. When assembled into many different peptides, some of these constructs are expected to function as a diode, and, when linked to light-harvesting molecules, as a solar cell. Peptides will be embedded into a self-assembled monolayer of alkanethiols on individual gold pads of a computer chip, which will be designed and manufactured by IMS. Each individual peptide can be addressed by feeding in, and at the same time measuring, the amount of current flow in both directions through the gold pads of the individual pixels. A similar kind of screen should then detect a functional peptide-based solar cell. 10.000 Peptides per cm(+2) will be synthesized by a particle based combinatorial synthesis recently developed by KIT-G and PPP. These peptides will be transferred in the array format to the chip where they couple to the gold pads. Therein, peptides will be coupled through cysteine residues to the flat gold surface, where they are embedded into a membrane-like structure. We expect that our evolution inspired approach may open a novel route to very efficient, and very cheap solar cells. This is due to the small percolation distances, highly ordered modular peptide structures, the large number of generated peptides, the ability to easily combine and modify eventually found peptide-diodes, and the frugal material consumption. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomolecules Programme(s) FP7-ENERGY - Specific Programme "Cooperation": Energy Topic(s) ENERGY.2010.10.2-1 - Future Emerging Technologies for Energy Applications (FET) Call for proposal FP7-ENERGY-2010-FET See other projects for this call Funding Scheme CP - Collaborative project (generic) Coordinator KARLSRUHER INSTITUT FUER TECHNOLOGIE EU contribution € 870 920,78 Address KAISERSTRASSE 12 76131 Karlsruhe Germany See on map Region Baden-Württemberg Karlsruhe Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Natascha Wallburg (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Participants (7) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all UNIVERSITE PAUL CEZANNE AIX MARSEILLE III Participation ended France EU contribution No data Address Avenue Robert Schuman 3 13628 AIX-EN-PROVENCE See on map Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Magali Niox (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data UNIVERSITE D'AIX MARSEILLE France EU contribution € 580 674,22 Address BOULEVARD CHARLES LIVON 58 LE PHARO 13284 Marseille See on map Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Bouches-du-Rhône Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Magali Niox (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Total cost No data WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE Participation ended Israel EU contribution € 243 026,00 Address HERZL STREET 234 7610001 Rehovot See on map Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Talia Tzahor (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK CORPORATION United States EU contribution € 229 625,00 Address 41ST STREET 230 WEST 5TH FLOOR 10036 NEW YORK NY See on map Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Brian R. Gibney (Prof.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data PEPperPRINT GmbH Germany EU contribution € 229 800,00 Address Schlossweg 9 69168 Wiesloch See on map Region Baden-Württemberg Karlsruhe Rhein-Neckar-Kreis Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Volker Stadler (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data INSTITUT FUER MIKROELEKTRONIK STUTTGART Germany EU contribution € 242 880,00 Address ALLMANDRING STRASSE 30A 70569 Stuttgart See on map Region Baden-Württemberg Stuttgart Stuttgart, Stadtkreis Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Harald Richter (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Total cost No data MIGAL GALILEE RESEARCH INSTITUTE LTD Israel EU contribution € 353 040,00 Address SOUTH INDUSTRIAL ZONE 11016 KIRYAT SHEMONA See on map Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Libat Malka (Mrs.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data
