The interdisciplinary team publishes the results in ´Nature
Nanotechnology´ this week.
The scientist investigated the photosystem-I reaction center
which is a chlorophyll protein complex located in membranes of chloroplasts
from cyanobacteria. Plants, algae and bacteria use photosynthesis to convert
solar energy into chemical energy. The initial stages of this process - where
light is absorbed and energy and electrons are transferred - are mediated by
photosynthetic proteins composed of chlorophyll and carotenoid complexes. Until
now, none of the available methods were sensitive enough to measure
photocurrents generated by a single protein. Photosystem-I exhibits outstanding
optoelectronic properties found only in photosynthetic systems. The nanoscale
dimension further makes the photosystem-I a promising unit for applications in
molecular optoelectronics.