Unravelling the bioenergetics of photosynthesis at multiple length and time scales

揭示多个长度和时间尺度的光合作用的生物能学

• 批准号: 2606782
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Cambridge
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2606782
• 关键词: Unravelling; bioenergetics; photosynthesis; multiple; length

Photosynthesis is the dominant route by which solar energy enters the biosphere, and is our primary source of food and energy. This important process is composed of several combinations of photon-absorption, light-to-charge conversion, charge transfer and bond transformation steps, each can take from pico-seconds to hours to occur. Facilitating this are a myriad of nano-machineries that work dynamically in concert or in cascades to harvest and convert sunlight into the bonds of biomass. It has recently become possible to electrochemically connect photosynthetic machineries, entire electron transport chains and even communities of living cells, electrochemically to electrodes. Such (re-)wiring of photosynthesis at different length scales (from nano-machineries to micron-sized cells) to electrodes is allowing us to study, control and exploit photosynthesis in exciting and unprecedented ways. This project aims to develop new methods of understanding the bioenergetics of photosynthesis so that we can more effectively enhance it for bespoke purposes. This involves the development of novel spectro-electrochemistry and imaging techniques for probing the bioenergetics of photosynthesis at a wide range of length and time scales (from nm-micro m and ps-days). Achieving this will fill long-standing technological gaps, enable photosynthesis to be understood wholistically, and accelerate the progress of technologies that rely on photosynthesis.

光合作用是太阳能进入生物圈的主要途径，也是我们食物和能源的主要来源。这个重要的过程由光子吸收、光到电荷转换、电荷转移和键转变步骤的几种组合组成，每个过程都需要皮秒到几小时的时间才能发生。促进这一过程的是无数纳米机械，它们协同或级联动态工作，收集阳光并将其转化为生物质键。最近，以电化学方式将光合机械、整个电子传输链甚至活细胞群落连接到电极已成为可能。这种不同长度尺度（从纳米机械到微米尺寸的细胞）的光合作用与电极的（重新）连接使我们能够以令人兴奋和前所未有的方式研究、控制和利用光合作用。该项目旨在开发理解光合作用生物能学的新方法，以便我们能够更有效地增强它以达到定制目的。这涉及新型光谱电化学和成像技术的开发，用于在广泛的长度和时间尺度（从纳米-微米到皮秒-天）内探测光合作用的生物能学。实现这一目标将填补长期存在的技术空白，使人们能够全面理解光合作用，并加速依赖光合作用的技术的进步。