Photosynthetic Protein Complexes as Bio-photovoltaic Building Blocks Retaining a High Internal Quantum Efficiency .

Photosynthetic compounds have been a paradigm for biosolar cells and biosensors and for application in photovoltaic and photocatalytic devices. However, the interconnection of proteins and protein complexes with electrodes, in terms of electronic contact, structure, alignment and orientation, remains a challenge. Here we report on a deposition method that relies on the self-organizing properties of these biological protein complexes to produce a densely packed monolayer by using Langmuir-Blodgett technology. The monolayer is deposited onto a gold electrode with defined orientation and produces the highest light-induced photocurrents per protein complex to date, 45μA/c