** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** PHOTOSYNTHESIS, OUR PLANET'S VAST PROCESS FOR SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION, IS POWERED BY TWO NANOSCALE PROTEINS--PHOTOSYSTEMS I AND II.WORKING TOGETHER, THESE PROTEINS FUEL WHAT IS TERMED THE Z-SCHEME OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS WITH HIGH POTENTIAL OXIDATIONS BY PHOTOSYSTEM II AND HIGH (NEGATIVE) POTENTIAL REDUCTIONS BY PHOTOSYSTEM I.THIS PROJECT AIMS TO EXTRACT THESE TWO POWERFUL PROTEINS FROM LEAFY GREEN AGRICULTURAL WASTE AND COMBINE THEM AS THE ACTIVE COMPONENTS WITH OTHER NANOSCALE MATERIALS IN BIOHYBRID SOLAR CELLS TO CONVERT SOLAR ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL POWER.THE PREPARATION OF SOLAR CELLS FROM VASTLY ABUNDANT PROTEINS VIA STRAIGHTFORWARD PROCESSING PROVIDES DISTINCT ADVANTAGES OVER MOST LEADING STRATEGIES THAT REQUIRE ENERGY-INTENSIVE PROCESSING (I.E. SILICON) OR RARE AND/OR EXPENSIVE MATERIALS. IN ADDITION, OUR APPROACH REPRESENTS A CLEANER, MORE SUSTAINABLE, AND POTENTIALLY MORE EFFICIENT ROUTE AS COMPARED TO BIOFUELS WHERE THE PLANT COMPONENTS ARE COMBUSTED. TO CLOSE THE GAP ON THESE MORE MATURE, YET LESS SUSTAINABLE APPROACHES, THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE SEVERAL KEY INNOVATIONS.BEFORE THESE PROTEINS ARE INCORPORATED INTO THE SOLAR CELL, THEIR ACTIVE SITES WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH IMPROVED CAPABILITIES FOR ELECTRON TRANSFER, SUCH AS THROUGH CONDUCTING POLYMERS AND METAL NANOPARTICLES.CATHODES AND ANODES OF HIGH SURFACE AREA WILL BE PREPARED WITH AIMS TO INCREASE THE LOADING OF THESE PROTEINS AND THE POWER OF THE CELL.THESE ELECTRODES WILL BE DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE SHORT CIRCUITS AND THE BACK TRANSFER OF ELECTRONS THAT HAVE HAMPERED MANY BIOHYBRID CELLS.A CONDUCTIVE GEL ELECTROLYTE WILL BE DEVELOPED TO PROVIDE MORE EFFICIENT CURRENT TRANSFER.THESE Z-SCHEME, PHOTOSYNTHESIS-INSPIRED SOLAR CELLS ARE DESIGNED TO PRODUCE MUCH GREATER ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL THAN THOSE PRODUCED BY OTHER BIOHYBRID SOLAR CELLS, BASED ON EITHER PHOTOSYSTEM I OR PHOTOSYSTEM II ALONE.GENERALLY, THIS PROJECT WILL CREATE HIGH VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS OF NANO-BIOMATERIALS FROM AGRICULTURAL ORIGINS FOR NON-FOOD APPLICATIONS. OUR APPROACH OF EXTRACTING THESE PROTEINS FROM AGRICULTURAL WASTE SOURCES AND EQUIPPING THEM FOR BIOHYBRID SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION ADDRESSES KEY USDA GOALS OF REDUCTION OF FOOD WASTE/LOSS, REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, AND INCREASED PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT.