Publication in “Advanced Functional Materials”

A research team led by Prof. Joanna Kargul from the University of Warsaw’s Center for New Technologies has published research results on the organisation of photosystem I (PSI) on the surface of graphene. The article appears in the journal “Advanced Functional Materials.”

A research team led by Prof. Joanna Kargul, head of the Laboratory of Photosynthesis and Solar Fuels at the Center for New Technologies, University of Warsaw, in collaboration with Dr Tomasz Góral from the Specialised Laboratory of Cryomicroscopy and Electron Diffraction, and scientists from the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, and the National Institute of Genetics in Japan, has published groundbreaking results on the organisation of photosystem I (PSI) on the surface of graphene.

In their study, the scientists used the cryo-EM technique combined with PSI genetic modification and targeted surface chemistry to obtain an atomistic image of the photosystem assembly on the graphene surface.

Precise control of protein orientation on conductive materials has long limited progress in artificial photosynthesis. Using cryo-electron microscopy, an interdisciplinary team of biochemists, molecular biologists, and chemists, led by Prof. Joanna Kargul from Solar Fuels Laboratory, CeNT UW, visualised Photosystem I, a key photoenzyme of oxygenic photosynthesis, anchored on graphene through nickel-binding tag, confirming alignment that directs electrons efficiently into the electrode.

The oriented nanoassemblies generated triple the photocurrent of randomly adsorbed proteins and maintained stable performance over extended illumination. The results demonstrate how molecular-level order can determine device-scale function, offering a framework for designing durable and efficient biohybrid systems for solar-to-chemical energy conversion.