ABSTRACT
Bacteriorhodopsin (bR) is the light-sensitive protein of the archaean Halobacterium salinarum that behaves as a photo-chromatic sensor similar to the photoreceptive cells in the retina. This chapter looks into the application of bR for color-sensitive imaging. In this context, the motivation to use these biomolecules arises from the following factors: no filters are needed to achieve color sensitivity, thin films and coatings offer numerous possibilities for novel array geometries, and optically active molecules offer the possibility of preprocessing visual data. The goal of the research is to develop photosensors and imaging devices based on bR as a case study of a material suitable for molecular electronics and nanoscale applications. The design principles and photoelectric properties of thick-film photosensors and color imaging devices based on bR are discussed.
