Biomimetic light-harvesting antennas via the self-assembly of chemically programmed chlorophylls

Abstract

The photosynthetic pigment “chlorophyll” possesses attractive photophysical properties, including efficient sunlight absorption, photoexcited energy transfer, and charge separation, which are advantageous for applications in photo- and electro-functional materials such as artificial photosynthesis and solar cells. However, these functions cannot be realized by individual chlorophyll molecules alone; rather, they are achieved by the formation of sophisticated supramolecules through the self-assembly of the pigments. Here, we present strategies for constructing and developing artificial light-harvesting systems by mimicking photosynthetic antenna complexes through the highly ordered supramolecular self-assembly of synthetic dyes, particularly chlorophyll derivatives.