SOLAR ENERGY IS THE CLEANEST AND MOST ABUNDANT ENERGY ON EARTH. FOR INSTANCE, PLANTS HARVEST SOLAR ENERGY TO PRODUCE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS AND OXYGEN AND THUS ENABLING AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PRODUCTION. AMONG OUR INCREASING QUEST FOR RENEWABLE AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, SOLAR ENERGY HAS BEEN WIDELY USED FOR ELECTRICITY GENERATION, CHEMICAL FUEL PRODUCTION, AND SEAWATER PURIFICATION. THESE APPLICATIONS WIDELY RELY ON THE SEMICONDUCTING SUNLIGHT ABSORBER MATERIALS, PARTICULARLY, FOR VISIBLE SUNLIGHT ABSORPTION. PHOTOACTIVE NANOPARTICLES ARE A PROMISING CANDIDATE FOR SOLAR ENERGY HARVESTING DUE TO THEIR LARGE SURFACE AREA AND DESIRED LIGHT ABSORPTION CAPABILITY. HOWEVER, THESE PHOTOACTIVE NANOPARTICLES SHOW LONG TERM DEGRADATION DUE TO PHOTOCORROSION. MEANWHILE, BIO-BASED MATERIALS FROM AGRICULTURAL WASTES AND BIOMASS FEEDSTOCK PROVIDE A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES. THE DEVELOPMENT OF BIO-BASED MATERIALS TO SUBSTITUTE PETROLEUM-BASED SYNTHETICS HAS BEEN AN AREA OF INTEREST, AS WELL AS A PRIMARY RESEARCH CHALLENGE FOR SCIENTISTS. IN THIS PROJECT, WE PROPOSE TO INCORPORATE PHOTOACTIVE NANOPARTICLES INTO BIO-BASED NANOFIBERS, AND EXPECT TO ACHIEVE A HIGH-EFFICIENCY IN SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION AND LONG TERM DURABILITY, BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE LARGE SURFACE AREA OF NANOFIBERS AND SUPPRESSED PHOTOCORROSION OF NANOPARTICLES. ULTIMATELY, WE EXPECT TO DEVELOP THIS INNOVATIVE NANOTECHNOLOGY THAT WILL MAKE A LONG-RANGE CONTRIBUTION TO THE U.S. BIOENERGY INDUSTRY AND U.S. AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS.