Abstract
Three- to four-times higher performance of biohybrid photoelectrochemical cells with photosynthetic reaction centers (RC) has been achieved by using a DNA-based biomimetic antenna. Synthetic dyes Cy3 and Cy5 were chosen and strategically placed in the anntena in such a way that they can collect additional light energy in the visible region of the solar spectrum and transfer it to RC through Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). The antenna, a DNA templated multiple dye system, is attached to each Rhodobacter sphaeroides RC near the primary donor, P, to facilitate the energy transfer process. Excitation with a broad light spectrum (approximating sunlight) triggers a cascade of excitation energy transfer from Cy3 to Cy5 to P, and also directly from Cy5 to P. This additional excitation energy increases the RC absorbance cross-section in the visible and thus the performance of the photoelectrochemical cells. DNA-based biomimetic antennas offer a tunable, modular light-harvesting system for enhancing RC solar coverage and performance for photoelectrochemical cells.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 4457-4460 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | ChemSusChem |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 22 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 23 2017 |
Keywords
- DNA
- artificial photosynthesis
- energy transfer
- light harvesting
- photoelectrochemical cells
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Chemistry
- General Chemical Engineering
- General Materials Science
- General Energy