Novel Approach\nof Nanophotonic Electron Transfer for\nAugmenting Photosynthesis in Arachis hypogaea: A Biophysical Rationale behind the Plasmonic Enhancement of Chemical\nEnergy Transfer

Plant photosynthetic machinery is the main source of\nacquisition\nand conversion of solar energy to chemical energy with the capacity\nfor autonomous self-repair. However, the major limitation of the chloroplast\nphotosystem is that it can absorb light only within the visible range\nof the spectrum, which is roughly 50% of the incident solar radiation.\nMoreover, the photosynthetic apparatus is saturated by less than 10%\nof available sunlight. If the capacity of solar light absorption and\nthe transmission of resulting photons through the photosynthetic electron\ntransport chain (ETC) can be extended, the overall efficiency of photosynthesis\ncan be improved. The plant nanobionic approach can address this via\nthe introduction of nanoparticles into or in the vicinity of the photosynthetic\nmachinery/chloroplast. We have studied this exceptional nanobionic-mediated\ncapability of two optically active nanostructures and evaluated the\nimpact of their optical properties on plant photosynthesis. Our study\nrevealed that metal (Ag) and core–shell metal nanostructures\n(AgS) can increase light absorption and improve electron transport\nthrough ETC. Both nanostructures were found to have a beneficial effect\non the photoluminescence property of the isolated chloroplast. Translocation\nstudies confirmed systemic transportation of the nanomaterial in different\nplant tissues. The primary growth parameters showed no detrimental\neffect until 21 days of treatment on Arachis hypogaea. The nano silver/silica core/shell structure (AgS) was found to\nbe more advantageous over nano silver (AgNP) in photon entrapment,\nlight-dependent biochemical reactions, and toxicity parameters. In\nthe future, these nanostructures can enhance photosynthesis by increasing\nlight absorption and resulting in higher assimilatory power generation\nin the form of ATP and NADPH. This approach may lead to a paradigm\nshift toward a sustainable method for the configuration of plant chloroplast-based\nhybrid energy harvesting devices.