980-nm Laser-Driven Photovoltaic Cells Based on Rare-Earth Up-Converting Phosphors for Biomedical Applications

A prerequisite for designing and constructing wireless biological is to obtain an electrical source that is continuously available in the operational biological environment. Herein the first preparation of 980-nm laser-driven photovoltaic cells (980LD-PVCs) by introducing of a film of rare- earth up-converting nanophosphors in conventional dye-sensitized solar cells is reported. Under the irradiation of a 980-nm laser with a power of 1W, the visible up-converting luminescence of rare-earth nanophosphors can be efficiently absorbed by the dyes in 98OLD-PVCs so that they exhibit a maximal output power of 0.47 mW. In particular, after being covered with 1 to 6 layers of pig intestines (thickness: ca. I mm per layer) as a model of biological tissues, 98OLD-PVCs still possess a maximal output power of between 0.28 and 0.02 mW, which is efficient enough to drive many kinds of biodevices. This research opens up the possibility of preparing and/or developing novel electrical sources for wireless biological nanorobots and many other biodevices.