Device with biological component and method of making to achieve a desired transfer function

Abstract

An improved method for the design and development of high performance hybrid devices having biologically-derived and nonbiological components and the hybrid devices so-designed and developed. A desired transfer function is determined for the biologically-derived component or components. The organism from which the biologically-derived component is derived is subjected to various environmental variables as it is grown. Organisms providing biologically-derived components having the desired transfer function are identified. The biologically-derived component is thereafter developed from organisms force adapted to cause the biologically-derived component transfer function to reach a goal or an acceptable measure. The biological component is used in hybrid constructs that may be nanostructures, given the small size of the biological parts. In one specific embodiment, force-adapted chlorosomes of Chloroflexus aurantiacus ( C. aurantiacus ) enhance performance of a silicon photovoltaic cell. The bacteria, C. aurantiacus , strain J-10-fl, has the A.T.C.C. designation number 29366, having been deposited in July, 1976.

1 . A method of analysis of a component for a device that is at least partly biologically-derived, comprising the steps of:
 (a) developing biologically-derived components of the device using organisms produced under controlled environmental conditions,   (b) varying the environmental conditions under which the organisms are produced,   (c) producing outputs from inputs to the biologically-derived components, and formulating transfer functions for the components,   (d) observing variances among transfer functions corresponding to the varied environmental conditions under which the organisms were grown, and   (e) choosing environmental factors for the growth of the biological components to arrive at desired transfer functions for the biologically-derived components.   
   
   
       2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising force adapting further of the biologically-derived components using the environmental factors chosen to produce organisms from which are developed the further biologically-derived components, whereby further biologically-derived components having the desired transfer functions are available for inclusion in devices. 
   
   
       3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein varying environmental conditions comprises varying multiple environmental conditions as variables in a design of experiment analysis of the biologically-derived components. 
   
   
       4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein varying the environmental conditions comprises developing a group of the organisms used to develop the biologically-derived components in an environmental chamber having control of the environmental conditions for individual test specimens of the organisms. 
   
   
       5 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein varying environmental conditions includes varying environmental conditions chosen from the group consisting of temperature, illumination, media and duration in and during which specimens of the organisms are developed from which the biologically-derived component is derived. 
   
   
       6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein organisms comprises  Chloroflexus aurantiacus  ( C. aurantiacus ), and the biologically-derived components comprise using at least a part of chlorosomes thereof. 
   
   
       7 . The method according to  claim 2 , further comprising harvesting portions of the organisms active in an activity mode of interest for use in the hybrid device. 
   
   
       8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the organisms are bacteria and the portions of the organisms are selected parts of the bacteria active in the mode of interest. 
   
   
       9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the parts of the bacteria are chlorosomes. 
   
   
       10 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the bacteria are  Chloroflexus aurantiacus  ( C. aurantiacus ) and the parts are RC −  chlorosomes. 
   
   
       11 . A hybrid device comprising at least one bioengineered adaptable biological component made by the method of analysis of any one of  claims 1 - 10 . 
   
   
       12 . A hybrid device comprising at least one bioengineered adaptable biologically-derived component, and at least one non-biological component, the biologically-derived component having characteristics arrived at by force adaptation of an adaptable organism from which the biologically-derived components are derived to bring the device to a prescribed biohybrid transfer function. 
   
   
       13 . The hybrid device according to  claim 12 , wherein the biological component has a transfer function achieved by forced adaptation including varying environmental factors affecting the development of the biological component. 
   
   
       14 . The hybrid device according to  claim 12  or  13 , wherein the biologically-derived component and the nonbiological component are situated in energy transferring relation to one another. 
   
   
       15 . The hybrid device according to  claim 14 , wherein the biologically-derived component is an energy-interactive part of the adaptable organism. 
   
   
       16 . The hybrid device according to  claim 15 , wherein the energy-interactive part of the adaptable organism is a photo-active part of the organism and the nonbiological component comprises a photo-active semiconductor. 
   
   
       17 . A method of making a hybrid photoactive device including:
 (a) providing photosynthetic chlorosome-containing bacteria, chlorosomes of which have a light response enhanced in one range of light wavelengths, including:
 (i) force adapting the bacteria to have chlorosomes responsive to light in the one range of light wavelength that is a blue region of the visible spectrum and to emit light in another range of light wavelengths that are outside said blue region. 
   (b) extracting the chlorosomes from the bacteria,   (c) providing a photoactive semiconductor having a light response that is diminished at said blue region of the visible spectrum, and   (d) locating the chlorosomes proximate a light receiving surface of the photoactive semiconductor.   
   
   
       18 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the light emitted by the chlorosomes in said another range of light wavelengths is light in the near infrared region of the visible spectrum. 
   
   
       19 . A hybrid photoactive device made by the method of one of  claims 17  and  18 .