Photosystem I (PSI) is a membrane protein found in photosynthetic organisms that has prompted extensive study for their use in functional devices due to its unique ability to perform charge separation with a quantum efficiency near unity. The study of PSI as an energy conversion material has typically been performed following deposition onto a gold electrode. While gold is a suitable electrode that has been extensively studied, there are a number of advantages to be had by using other electrodes.  The use of alternative electrodes enables the study of PSI on surfaces with different electronic properties.  Here we utilize a general, vacuum assisted dropcast method to deposit thick multilayer films of PSI on a wide variety of electrodes, both metal and semiconductor, that are then analyzed using electrochemical methods.  Preliminary results demonstrate that both work function and bandgap have significant effects on the photocurrent and photovoltage of these systems.

Analyzing the effect of electrode material on photoactive films of Photosystem I

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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