Stationary current generated from photocycle of a hybrid bacteriorhodopsin/quantum dot bionanosystem

Bacteriorhodopsin (bR) is a promising biomaterial for broad potential applications in optical and optoelectronic devices. Upon the original photochemical cycle of bR, for the first time we construct a hybrid bR/quantum dot (QD) bionanosystem and a stationary current is generated from the modified photocycle. We propose a model to explain that QDs could act as nanoscaled light sources embedded in bR to assist its generation of a stationary photocurrent, which is completely different from the reported transient spikes from the bR's photocycle. It opens the horizon for optical devices other than those reported up to date.