Biomolecular and Biohybrid Systems for Solar Energy Conversion

Dear Colleagues,

It has been estimated that the energy captured in one hour of sunlight that reaches our planet is equivalent to the annual energy production by the human population globally. Efficiently capturing this practically inexhaustible solar energy and converting it into high energy density solar fuel is an attractive “green” alternative to running our present-day economies on rapidly depleting fossil fuels, especially in the context of the ever-growing global energy demand. Biohybrid technologies form a relatively young and dynamic field of green nanotechnology that utilizes a combination of designed synthetic and biological components. Such systems can take advantage of biological solar capture from photosynthetic organisms, such as cyanobacteria and algae; their photosynthetically active biological membranes; or the components of the photosynthetic apparatus to harness solar energy and convert it into electricity and solar fuels. Alternatively, solar energy is harvested by artificial systems, and the resulting reducing equivalents are transferred, either directly or via a suitable energy vector/mediator (e.g., H2) to a suitable organism or semi-synthetic module responsible for the synthesis of the desired chemical product. In both cases, the main advantage stems from the capacity of biology to synthesize complex products with efficiencies so far unachievable in man-made systems. This Special Issue on “Biomolecular and Biohybrid Systems for Solar Energy Conversion” will provide an up-to-date compendium on the recent advances in direct conversion of sunlight into chemicals (fuel and high-value products) using rational approaches aimed at obtaining the highest product yields and conversion efficiencies. Contributions are invited (original research papers and reviews) on the application of photosynthetic microorganisms, components of the photosynthetic apparatus, and heterotrophic microorganisms interfacing with various synthetic materials (semiconductive and conductive electrodes, graphene, molecular catalysts, bio-organic interfaces, photosynthesizers, plasmonic nanostructures, etc.) for enhanced conversion of solar light into chemicals using water, carbon dioxide, or nitrogen as substrates. Theoretical studies on developing rational approaches for minimizing wasteful back reactions and securing optimized solar-driven direct electron transfer are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Joanna M. Kargul
Dr. Margot Jacquet
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.