Nature harnesses solar energy for photosynthesis in which one reaction centre is associated with a number of light harvesting units. The reaction centre and light-harvesting units are assembled by non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding and π–π interactions. This article presents various strategies to assemble artificial photosynthetic reaction centres composed of multiple light harvesting units and charge-separation units, which are connected by non-covalent bonding as well as covalent bonding. First light-harvesting units are assembled on alkanethiolate-monolayer-protected metal nanoparticles (MNPs), which are connected with electron acceptors by non-covalent bonding. Light-harvesting units can also be assembled using dendrimers and oligopeptides to combine with electron acceptors by π–π interactions. The cup-shaped nanocarbons generated by the electron-transfer reduction of cup-stacked carbon nanotubes have been functionalized with a number of porphyrins acting as light-harvesting units as well as electron donors. In each case, the photodynamics of assemblies of artificial photosynthetic reaction centres have revealed efficient energy transfer and electron transfer to afford long-lived charge-separated states.
大自然利用太阳能进行光合作用,其中一个反应中心与多个采光单元相关联。反应中心和采光单元是通过氢键和π-π相互作用等非共价相互作用组装起来的。本文介绍了组装由多个采光单元和电荷分离单元组成的人工光合作用反应中心的各种策略,这些反应中心通过非共价键和共价键连接。首先将采光单元组装在烷
硫酸盐-单层保护
金属纳米粒子(MNPs)上,MNPs 通过非共价键与电子受体连接。也可以使用树枝状聚合物和寡肽组装光收集单元,通过 π-π 相互作用与电子受体结合。通过杯状堆叠碳纳米管的电子转移还原生成的杯状纳米碳已被一些
卟啉功能化,这些
卟啉既是光收集单元,也是电子供体。在每种情况下,人工光合反应中心集合体的光动力学都显示了高效的能量转移和电子转移,从而产生了长寿命的电荷分离状态。