Photoelectrical properties of molecular layer consisting of chlorophyll a/ferredoxin heterostructure

摘要

Photoelectrical properties of biomolecular heterostructures are investigated. Ferredoxin and chlorophyll a were used as an electron acceptor and a sensitizer in the heterostructure by mimicking the photosynthesis. Self-assembly layer of ferredoxin was formed on Au-coated glass, and then chlorophyll a was deposited onto the ferredoxin layer by Langmuir-Blodgett method. The photoinduced current flow was observed by repeated step illumination of 488 nm light irradiation. The rectifying property by the scanning-tunneling-spectroscopy-based current-voltage characteristic was achieved in the ferredoxin/chlorophyll a heterostructure. The ferredoxin/chlorophyll a heterostructure was functioned as the molecular diode and switching device with photocurrent generation and rectifying property. Proposed molecular diode can be usefully applied for the development of molecular-scale bioelectronic devices such as the diode, switch, and solar cell.