Semiconductor nanoparticles give bacteria a boost

Bacteria covered in semiconductor nanoparticles make more efficient use of light and could be used to create acetic acid, a key ingredient in fuel and plastics.

This is the conclusion of scientists in the US who have developed a process that outperforms natural photosynthesis and could be utilised in a range of industrial processes.

The researchers presented their work at the 254th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) on August 22, 2017.

Photosynthesis is the process in which plants and other organisms convert light into chemical energy but chlorophyll - the green pigment that plants use to harvest sunlight - is relatively inefficient. To help humans capture more of the sun's energy than natural photosynthesis, scientists have now covered bacteria in tiny, highly efficient solar panels to produce useful compounds.

"Rather than rely on inefficient chlorophyll to harvest sunlight, I've taught bacteria how to grow and cover their bodies with tiny semiconductor nanocrystals," said Kelsey K. Sakimoto, Ph.D., who carried out the research in the lab of Peidong Yang, Ph.D. "These nanocrystals are much more efficient than chlorophyll and can be grown at a fraction of the cost of manufactured solar panels."