Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Part IV
Bioelectronics
In this section, the focus is on bioelectronic devices based on bacteriorhopdopsin, a pro-
tein from the archae
Halobacter salinarium
, which has been the most studied for its photo-
electric, bioelectronic, and photo-chromatic applications. In Chapter 14, Dr. Jeffrey Stuart
and colleagues provide an overview of biophotonics. The first part of the chapter focuses
on bacteriorhodopsin and its properties. Then bR protein-based devices and sensor appli-
cations are presented. In Chapter 15, Dr. Felix Hong first describes the principles of the
photoelectric effect. Since prototype photoelectric sensors were often configured as thin
films or membranes, the fundamental mechanistic aspects of light-induced charge move-
ments in pigment-containing membranes or thin films are analyzed and discussed. Two
experimental prototypes are presented to illustrate how the principles shape the interpre-
tation of experimental data. A lipid bilayer membrane system, which contains lipid solu-
ble magnesium porphyrins, represents perhaps the simplest light-driven electron pump.
Several different reconstituted bacteriorhodopsin model membranes illustrate the next
level of complexity in signal analysis. These sensors can be configured either as a photo-
sensors, which can be modulated by small ions in the vicinity of the membrane or thin film
or as a ion sensors, which can be modulated and gated by light. The pros and cons of var-
ious approaches in future smart biosensor designs are discussed. Chapter 16 by Dr. Jussi
Parkkinen and his colleagues, focuses on color sensitive or photochromatic biosensors.
This authors review bR and its optical properties, color vision, application of bR in color
imaging. In Chapter 17, Wei Wei Wang and colleagues describe a specific application of
bacteriorhodopsin incorporated on flexible substrates.
