<title>Photodynamic protein incorporated in conducting polymer and sol-gel matrices: toward smart materials for information storage and processing</title>

We report our development of biomaterials for information processing and signal transduction by incorporation of photodynamic proteins into conducting polymer and sol-gel matrices. Our aim is to develop biomaterials with high optical quality, good thermal and mechanical stability, and superior opto-electronic characteristics for applications in biosensor, signal transduction, and information processing. A novel three-dimensional optical memory system based on a light transducing protein, bacteriorhodopsin, is designed and demonstrated.