The technology is a device that facilitates the production of biofuels in theform of high energy bio-molecules with enhanced characteristics. The device is a hybrid system that is composed of a natural photosystem held together by a membrane and crystalline nanoparticles. The system is capable of producing biological fuels when irradiated by solar or any other kind of illumination. The presence of the metallic or semiconductor nanoparticles helps to enhance the effectiveness of the photosynthetic process. This is achieved by significantly increasing the rate of light absorption by the chlorophyll pigments due to plasmon enhancement of metal nanoparticles or due to Förster energy transfer from highly-absorbing semiconductor nanoparticles. The process facilitates the utilization of photosynthetic molecules in an active medium due to their high quantum yield and energy conversion efficiency. Multifold increment in the chlorophyll fluorescence for complexes was observed when they were placed near metallic nanoparticles. The adjoining diagrams are a schematic representation of the plasmon-enhancement and Förster energy transfer processes.
1) Enhanced performance of devices based on photocurrents in photosynthetic complexes. 2) Increased yield of chemical energy that can be produced using a smaller number of reaction centers. 3) Minimized energy loses from the system due to fast separation of the electron-hole pair. 4) Increased absorption in the range of wavelength from the solar spectrum by the hybrid system as compared to natural photosynthetic systems.