Light manipulation using organic semiconducting materials for enhanced photosynthesis

Photosynthetic microorganisms, such as algae, are sources of bioproducts. Because they require only sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to grow, they have potential for future mitigation of CO2 emissions. However, inefficient growth of these organisms remains an issue for realizing these emission reductions, primarily in terms of photosynthetic efficiency, photoinhibition, and photolimitation. Here, we show how use of light filtration through semi-transparent films comprised of organic π-conjugated molecules and organic photovoltaic devices has the potential to improve the photosynthesis efficiency of algae and the total power generation of a combined organic photovoltaic/algal system. Experimental data are used to fit a photosynthetic model predicting algal photosynthetic growth given light intensity and light transmission through an organic photovoltaic device. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using an “agrivoltaic” system combining photosynthetic growth with electricity-producing organic photovoltaics and provides a template for exploring other blended applications of these technologies.