Event Information
Exploiting Synthetic Multiporphyrin Arrays to Transform Sunlight into Electricity
- Abstract:
Nature harnesses the energy of the sun using arrays of chromophores arranged exquisitely within protein scaffolds, but synthetic devices to perform this task must rely on very different methods of organization. Still, the basic principle of strongly coupling multiple chromophores can be adopted from the natural world with powerful results. The design of improved photovoltaic devices calls for molecules with strong absorptions over broad spectral domains, excellent charge delocalization, low bandgaps, and tunable energy levels. An exemplary class of functional materials is defined by multiporphyrin arrays that feature acetylene linkages at the meso positions. The coplanar arrangement of the porphyrin macrocycles results in strong coupling in the ground and excited states, producing oligomers with the properties desired for photovoltaic applications.
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