The MECANO project focusses on the development of new concepts inspired by the efficiency of Nature in the production, storage and use of energy. Two specific natural processes are of particular interest and concerned by the MECANO project. The first process is the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) that is of utmost importance in the fuel-cell functioning and the replacement of platinum in fuel-cells. The second process is the light harvesting in vegetal and bacterial photosynthesis. In both processes, porphyrin derivatives, hemes for the ORR, chlorophylls and bacterio-chlorophylls for the photosynthesis, are involved. Porphyrins are the link between all members of the consortium, through protein engineering, enzyme models, metalloporphyrins in electrocatalysis, or self-assembly of porphyrins on surfaces, especially carbon surfaces. In the MECANO project, reconstructed proteins and strapped porphyrins, as hemoproteins models, will be modified (Task1) to further associate with carbon electrodes (Task2) and generate modified electrodes which properties will be investigated (Task3). The modification of electrodes will be achieved covalently and non-covalently in order to determine which anchoring mode leads to the best properties, depending on the type of electrode material used (nanotubes, graphene, HOPG). The graftable structures will also be used as anchored initiators for the growth of self-assembled wires, in order to form chromophore brushes on the surface of electrodes. The brushes will reproduce the light harvesting that takes place in the photosynthesis. Ultimately, functional nano-objects will be produced and integrated into prototypal devices of fuel-cells and solar cells. During the project, care will be taken to promote multidisciplinary training of students and post-docs through the practice of mutagenesis, synthesis, scanning probe microscopy and electrocatalysis.