Nature Communications (Jan 2024)

Bioinspired polymeric supramolecular columns as efficient yet controllable artificial light-harvesting platform

  • Bin Mu,
  • Xiangnan Hao,
  • Xiao Luo,
  • Zhongke Yang,
  • Huanjun Lu,
  • Wei Tian

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45252-9
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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Abstract Light-harvesting is an indispensable process in photosynthesis, and researchers have been exploring various structural scaffolds to create artificial light-harvesting systems. However, achieving high donor/acceptor ratios for efficient energy transfer remains a challenge as excitons need to travel longer diffusion lengths within the donor matrix to reach the acceptor. Here, we report a polymeric supramolecular column-based light-harvesting platform inspired by the natural light-harvesting of purple photosynthetic bacteria to address this issue. The supramolecular column is designed as a discotic columnar liquid crystalline polymer and acts as the donor, with the acceptor intercalated within it. The modular columnar design enables an ultrahigh donor/acceptor ratio of 20000:1 and an antenna effect exceeding 100. Moreover, the spatial confinement within the supramolecular columns facilitates control over the energy transfer process, enabling dynamic full-color tunable emission for information encryption applications with spatiotemporal regulation security.