Bahls, L. (). Cyclotella gamma. In Diatoms of the United States. Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://westerndiatoms.colorado.edu/taxa/species/cyclotella_ gamma. Bahls, L. (). Synedra famelica. In Diatoms of the United States. Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://westerndiatoms.colorado.edu/taxa/species/synedra_f amelica. Carr J, Hergenrader G and Troelstrup N (1986). A Simple, Inexpensive Method for Cleaning Diatoms. Trans American Microspocical Society 105(2): 152-157. Jeffryes C, Campbell J, Li H, Jiao J, Rorrer G (2011). The potential of diatom nanobiotechnology for applications in solar cells, batteries, and electroluminescent devices. Energy Environ Sci 4:3930-3941. Spaulding S (2010). Didymosphenia geminata. In Diatoms of the United States. Retrieved October 11, 2015, from http://westerndiatoms.colorado.edu/taxa/species/didymosp henia_geminata. Modern day solar panels are inefficient. Although solar energy has garnered much media attention, the solar panel actually has an efficiency of only about 11-15%. Scientists have been able to produce advanced solar panels that can reach about 25% efficiency, but, unfortunately, they are far too expensive to produce commercially. To increase solar cell efficiency, researchers have looked to the biology themed natural process of photosynthesis as a guide (Jeffryes 2011). This project aims to use principles from both plant thylakoids and nanomechanics to increase efficiency. Mimicking the thylakoid inside plant chloroplast with titanium dioxide functionalized diatoms can potentially boost the productivity of modern photovoltaic systems. Methods Conclusions Functionalizing Diatoms with TiO 2 for Solar Cell Applications Chris Dowdy, Sam Trappen, Dalton Reith, Dr. Chris Coughlin, Dr. Sesha Srinivasin & Dr. Melba Horton Florida Polytechnic University, 4700 Research Way, Lakeland, FL 33805 Figure 4. SEM image of Cyclotella gamma. Scale bar equals 10 μm (Bahls). Literature Cited Cleaning the Diatoms. Several species of diatoms were cleaned for this experiment, Cyclotella sp. (Figure 4), Synedra sp. (Figure 5) and Didymosphenia geminata (Figure 6). Samples of Cyclotella and Synedra were grown from purchased stock and Didymosphenia was obtained via the University of Colorado. The samples were cleaned via a bleaching process (Carr 1986) at various concentrations of sodium hypochlorite (4.125%, 2.75% and 1.65%). Cleaned frustules from each concentration were observed under a compound microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) to determine which concentration cleaned the diatoms with the least impact on the diatom structure. Functionalizing the Diatoms. A solution to gel (sol-gel) chemical reaction method will be used to obtain titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles. Polymers of TiO 2 will be seated onto the cleaned diatomic frustules. The purpose of the TiO 2 is to interact with photons and harness their energy creating an electric current across the frustule acting as a substrate. The presence and quality of these nanoparticles will be assessed by use of a SEM. Introduction Results Acknowledgements Future Plans Objective & Hypothesis Improve the current state of the art for photovoltaic systems by adding titania functionalized diatoms. Development of Cleaning Process. Our cleaning process showed that a 1 to 4 concentration of commercial bleach to sample (1.65% bleach after mixing) was effective at cleaning the organic material from diatom frustules while avoiding destruction of the frustules by the base. Because of the lower concentration used, fewer rinses were needed than the previously published process (Carr 1986). Florida Industrial and Phosphate Research Institute (FIPR) Award. This project was awarded First Place for the FIPR Award in the Biology Integrated Outlook Expo Poster Contest at Florida Polytechnic University, Fall 2015. Figure 6. SEM image of Didymosphenia geminata. Scale bar equals 10 μm (Spaulding 2010). A cheaper, safer and effective method for cleaning diatoms was corroborated by this research. The bleach method used at low concentrations is as effective as the popular acid cleaning methods for frustule cleaning. The resulting cleaned diatom surfaces will act as a substrate for the placement of titania nanoparticles in the next step of this experiment. TiO 2 Attached to Diatoms. The diatoms will be functionalized for solar cell application by chemically affixing titania to the surface of the cleaned diatoms. These diatoms will be then be inserted into solar cells (per species) to determine which diatomic design is the most efficient at energy production. Sustainability Project. This project was funded by a grant from the Florida Polytechnic Sustainability Committee for their annual Research Competition. The winner will be announced on April 22, 2016 (after the print date of this poster). Caleb Riggs graciously helped design and 3D print a model for the project. Florida Polytechnic University allowed access to labs and equipment for the project. Certain designs of diatoms will provide greater energy efficiencies inside solar cells. Figure 3. Chris Dowdy viewing Didymosphenia geminata under a microscope. Figure 2. Dalton Reith cleaning diatoms for functionalization. Figure 1. Sam Trappen cleaning diatoms for functionalization. "I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that." -Thomas A. Edison, 1931 Figure 5. SEM image of Synedra famelica. Scale bar equals 10 μm (Bahls).