Enhancement of light-energy conversion efficiency by multi-porphyrin arrays of porphyrin-peptide oligomers with fullerene clusters

J Phys Chem B. 2005 Jan 13;109(1):19-23. doi: 10.1021/jp045246v.

Abstract

Organic photovoltaic cells using supramolecular complexes of porphyrin-peptide oligomers (porphyrin-functionalized alpha-polypeptides) with fullerene demonstrate remarkable enhancement in the photoelectrochemical performance as well as broader photoresponse in the visible and near-infrared regions by increasing the number of porphyrin units in alpha-polypeptide structures. A high power conversion efficiency (eta) of 1.3% and a maximum incident photon-to-photocurrent efficiency (IPCE) of 42% were attained using composite clusters of porphyrin-peptide octamer and fullerene. These results clearly show that the formation of a molecular assembly between fullerene and multi-porphyrin arrays with a polypeptide backbone controls the electron transfer efficiency in the supramolecular complex, which is essential for the light-energy conversion.

Publication types

  • Letter

MeSH terms

  • Electrochemistry
  • Fullerenes* / chemistry
  • Fullerenes* / radiation effects
  • Light*
  • Molecular Structure
  • Particle Size
  • Peptides* / chemistry
  • Peptides* / radiation effects
  • Photochemistry
  • Porphyrins* / chemistry
  • Porphyrins* / radiation effects

Substances

  • Fullerenes
  • Peptides
  • Porphyrins