INSPIRE Track 2: Discovery and Development of Optimized Photonic Systems for High Volume, Low Surface Area Solar Energy Harvesting: Learning from Giant Clams

这一INSPIRE奖汇集了生物局综合组织系统司、数学和物理科学局材料研究司以及工程局电气、通信和网络系统司传统上支持的研究领域。巨蚌进化出了一种优雅的系统，可以在光强极高的地区利用适应低得多光强的藻类有效地收集太阳能。它们通过将组织内的藻类排列成平行于入射阳光的垂直柱子来做到这一点。组织的表面被称为虹膜细胞的细胞覆盖；这些细胞的功能是将入射到文蛤组织水平表面的光线均匀地分布在藻类微柱的更大的垂直表面上。该项目将探索该系统中丰富的生物物理复杂性，以准确地了解文蛤如何优化太阳能捕获。Pi Sweeney将描述文蛤在一生中和在进化时间内对光环境变化的进化结构反应，正如密切相关的文蛤物种之间的差异所观察到的那样。联合皮扬将通过合成自上而下和自下而上的设计和制造技术，在分层结构控制方面与生物学竞争，从而制造出受文蛤启发的新材料。文蛤的设计将特别有助于在新设备中高效地利用廉价的聚合物光伏，并以较低的光损害，以及改进光生物反应器技术。该项目包括为来自帕劳和费城的大学生提供实习机会，为大学预科学生提供科学职业道路的文化知识和具体的实验室经验。PI寻求将这种生物光子共生的新见解转化为变革性的、高容量、低表面积、耐缺陷的光伏设备和藻类燃料培养系统。Tridacna属的巨蚌支持微藻共生体，具有非凡的光子排列，可以解决诸如如何将阳光集中到更小的占地面积设备中，同时容忍设备缺陷以及避免过热和光损害等设计挑战。该项目包括生物实地考察、物理/光学建模以及至少两种新材料/装置的开发。将探索文蛤对光环境变化的进化反应；这项工作将在光环境和虹膜/藻柱设计之间产生匹配功能，这将直接为设备设计提供信息。新材料将通过合成自上而下和自下而上的设计和制造技术来制造，在分级结构控制方面与生物学相抗衡。该项目将生产合成虹膜细胞，这种细胞可以被设计成增强到达任何太阳能吸收体的辐射，并复制文蛤的微柱+虹膜细胞排列，用于生物燃料生产的范式转换、微米级光生物反应器。帕劳的实地考察工作将使研究人员能够探索文蛤系统在不同光照环境下的进化。

This INSPIRE award brings together research areas traditionally supported in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems in the Directorate for Biology, in the Materials Research Division in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems in the Directorate for Engineering. Giant clams evolved an elegant system for efficiently harvesting solar energy in areas of extremely high light intensity using algae adapted for much lower light intensities. They do this by arranging algae within their tissues into vertical pillars parallel to incoming sunlight. The surface of the tissue is covered by cells called iridocytes; these function to redistribute light incident on the horizontal surface of the clam tissue evenly over the much larger vertical surfaces of the algal micropillars. The project will explore the wealth of biophysical complexity in the system to understand exactly how the clam optimizes solar energy capture. PI Sweeney will characterize the clams' evolved structural responses to changing light environment over the lifetime of a clam and over evolutionary time as observed in differences between closely related clam species. Co-PI Yang will make new materials inspired by the clam by synthesizing top-down and bottom-up design and fabrication techniques to rival biology in hierarchical structural control. The clam's design will be especially useful for utilizing inexpensive polymer photovoltaics efficiently and with low photodamage in novel devices, and for improved photobioreactor technology. The project includes internships for college students from Palau and Philadelphia to provide pre-college students with cultural knowledge of scientific career paths and concrete lab experiences.The PIs seek to turn new insights from this biophotonic symbiosis into transformative, high volume, low surface area, defect tolerant photovoltaic devices, and algal fuel culture systems. Giant clams in the genus Tridacna support microalgal symbionts with a remarkable photonic arrangement that addresses such design challenges as how to concentrate sunlight into smaller footprint devices while tolerating device imperfections and avoiding overheating and photodamage. The project integrates biological fieldwork, physical/optical modeling, and the development of at least two novel materials/devices. Evolved responses of the clam to shifts in light environment will be explored; this work will generate a matching function between light environment and iridocyte/algal pillar design that will directly inform device design. New materials will be made by synthesizing top-down and bottom-up design and fabrication techniques to rival biology in hierarchical structural control. The project will produce synthetic iridocytes which can be engineered to enhance radiance reaching any arbitrary solar energy absorber, and copy the clam's micropillar + iridocyte arrangement for a paradigm-shifting, micron-scaled photobioreactor for biofuel production. Fieldwork in Palau will allow the investigators to probe the evolution of the clam system in variable light environments.