Bioelectronic light-gated transistors with biologically tunable performance.

Light-activated bioelectronic silicon nanowire transistor devices are made by fusing proteoliposomes containing a bacteriorhodopsin (bR) proton pump onto the nanowire surface. Under green-light illumination, bR pumps protons toward the nanowire, and the pH gradient developed by the pump changes the transistor output. Furthermore, co-assembly of small biomolecules that alter the bilayer permeability to other ions can upregulate and downregulate the response of field-effect transistor devices.