Significance: Manipulating the nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) capabilities of photosynthetic organisms is known to result in increased crop productivity. However, optimization of yields also requires a detailed molecular understanding of the mechanism of NPQ in vivo with specific attention to the roles of the carotenoid zeaxanthin and various ∆pH-sensing proteins, such as photosystem II subunit S and stress-related antenna proteins (e.g., LHCX). Here, to investigate such in vivo NPQ mechanisms, we report transient absorption spectroscopy measurements on live cells of Nannochloropsis oceanica . We show that two fundamental processes proposed as NPQ mechanisms are active in N. oceanica and specifically require violaxanthin de-epoxidase as well as the LHCX1 protein. These findings have implications for optimizing the yields of algal biofuels.

We report on a one-step method for preparing nitrogen doped (N-doped) meso-/microporous hybrid carbon material (NCF) via the heat treatment of used cigarette filters under a nitrogen-containing atmosphere. The used cigarette filter, which is mostly composed of cellulose acetate fibers, can be transformed into a porous carbon material that contains both the mesopores and micropores spontaneously. The unique self-developed pore structure allowed a favorable pathway for electrolyte permeation and contact probability, resulting in the extended rate capability for the supercapacitor. The NCF exhibited a better rate capability and higher specific capacitance (153.8 F g(-1)) compared to that of conventional activated carbon (125.0 F g(-1)) at 1 A g(-1). These findings indicate that the synergistic combination of well-developed meso-/micropores, an enlarged surface area and pseudocapacitive behavior leads to the desired supercapacitive performance. The prepared carbon material is capable of reproducing its electrochemical performance during the 6000 cycles required for charge and discharge measurements.

Patterning-assembly technology for energy storage systems can be a breakthrough for physicochemically limited energy storage systems. In this study, a concept of design with experimental proof is provided for an all-solid-state origami-type foldable supercapacitor by a novel patterning approach. The proposed system is composed of periodically assembled isolated electrodes (IEs) and sectionalized ion transferring paper (SITP), which are key factors for the densely packed series circuit analogues in the single system. The system shows a linear relationship between the potential window and the number of IEs, which does not have any limited asymptotic line. This system could increase energy and power simultaneously, which was conventionally not possible. Also, its folding characteristics accommodate highly stable stretching. These characteristics are proven by simulations based on ab-initio calculations and the finite-element method.