Use of Biomolecular Scaffolds for Assembling Multistep Light Harvesting and Energy Transfer Devices

Publication date: Available online 6 January 2015 Source:Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology C: Photochemistry Reviews Author(s): Christopher M. Spillmann , Igor L. Medintz The development of biologically templated artificial light harvesting antennae and energy transfer devices is a highly active research area with exceptional challenges. Natural energy harvesting complexes have exquisite spectrally- and spatially-tuned systems with high redundancy to maximize their ability to gather, channel, and distribute electromagnetic radiation. Attempting to mimic these highly efficient systems requires at the very least (sub)nanoscale precision in the positioning of light sensitive molecules, the latter of which must also possess carefully selected photophysical properties; in essence, these two fundamental properties must be exploited in a synergistic manner. First, the scaffold must be highly organized, ideally with multiple symmetrical components that are spatially arranged with nanoscale accuracy. Second, the structure must be amenable to chemical modification in order to be (bio)functionalized with the desired light sensitive moieties which have expanded greatly to now include organic dyes, metal chelates, fluorescent proteins, dye-doped and noble metal nanoparticles, photoactive polymers, along with semiconductor quantum dots amongst others. Several families of biological scaffolding molecules offer strong potential to meet these stringent requirements. Recent adva...
Source: Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology C: Photochemistry Reviews - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research