Efficient biologically inspired photocell enhanced by delocalized quantum states

Artificially implementing the biological light reactions responsible for the remarkably efficient photon-to-charge conversion in photosynthetic complexes represents a new direction for the future development of photovoltaic devices. Here, we develop such a paradigm and present a model photocell base...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2013-12, Vol.111 (25), p.253601-253601, Article 253601
Main Authors: Creatore, C, Parker, M A, Emmott, S, Chin, A W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atomic and Molecular Clusters
Biological Physics
Chemical Physics
Computational Physics
Computer Arithmetic
Computer Science
Condensed Matter
Materials Science
Mesoscopic Systems and Quantum Hall Effect
Modeling and Simulation
Models, Chemical
Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins - chemistry
Physics
Quantum Physics
Quantum Theory
Signal and Image Processing
Soft Condensed Matter
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Summary:Artificially implementing the biological light reactions responsible for the remarkably efficient photon-to-charge conversion in photosynthetic complexes represents a new direction for the future development of photovoltaic devices. Here, we develop such a paradigm and present a model photocell based on the nanoscale architecture and molecular elements of photosynthetic reaction centers. Quantum interference of photon absorption and emission induced by the dipole-dipole interaction between molecular excited states guarantees an enhanced light-to-current conversion and power generation for a wide range of electronic, thermal, and optical parameters for optimized dipolar geometries. This result opens a promising new route for designing artificial light-harvesting devices inspired by biological photosynthesis and quantum technologies.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.111.253601