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Sohoni S, Ghosh I, Nash GT, Jones CA, Lloyd LT, Li BC, Ji KL, Wang Z, Lin W, Engel GS. Optically accessible long-lived electronic biexcitons at room temperature in strongly coupled H- aggregates. Nat Commun 2024; 15:8280. [PMID: 39333466 PMCID: PMC11437198 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52341-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Photon absorption is the first process in light harvesting. Upon absorption, the photon redistributes electrons in the materials to create a Coulombically bound electron-hole pair called an exciton. The exciton subsequently separates into free charges to conclude light harvesting. When two excitons are in each other's proximity, they can interact and undergo a two-particle process called exciton-exciton annihilation. In this process, one electron-hole pair spontaneously recombines: its energy is lost and cannot be harnessed for applications. In this work, we demonstrate the creation of two long-lived excitons on the same chromophore site (biexcitons) at room temperature in a strongly coupled H-aggregated zinc phthalocyanine material. We show that exciton-exciton annihilation is suppressed in these H- aggregated chromophores at fluences many orders of magnitudes higher than solar light. When we chemically connect the same aggregated chromophores to allow exciton diffusion, we observe that exciton-exciton annihilation is switched on. Our findings demonstrate a chemical strategy, to toggle on and off the exciton-exciton annihilation process that limits the dynamic range of photovoltaic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddhartha Sohoni
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- The Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Pritzker School for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Indranil Ghosh
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- The Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Pritzker School for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Geoffrey T Nash
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Claire A Jones
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- The Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Pritzker School for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lawson T Lloyd
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- The Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Pritzker School for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Beiye C Li
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- The Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Pritzker School for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Karen L Ji
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- The Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Zitong Wang
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Wenbin Lin
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Gregory S Engel
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
- The Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
- James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Pritzker School for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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Assefa GT, Botha JL, van Heerden B, Kyeyune F, Krüger TPJ, Gwizdala M. ApcE plays an important role in light-induced excitation energy dissipation in the Synechocystis PCC6803 phycobilisomes. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2024; 160:17-29. [PMID: 38407779 PMCID: PMC11006782 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-024-01078-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Phycobilisomes (PBs) play an important role in cyanobacterial photosynthesis. They capture light and transfer excitation energy to the photosynthetic reaction centres. PBs are also central to some photoprotective and photoregulatory mechanisms that help sustain photosynthesis under non-optimal conditions. Amongst the mechanisms involved in excitation energy dissipation that are activated in response to excessive illumination is a recently discovered light-induced mechanism that is intrinsic to PBs and has been the least studied. Here, we used single-molecule spectroscopy and developed robust data analysis methods to explore the role of a terminal emitter subunit, ApcE, in this intrinsic, light-induced mechanism. We isolated the PBs from WT Synechocystis PCC 6803 as well as from the ApcE-C190S mutant of this strain and compared the dynamics of their fluorescence emission. PBs isolated from the mutant (i.e., ApcE-C190S-PBs), despite not binding some of the red-shifted pigments in the complex, showed similar global emission dynamics to WT-PBs. However, a detailed analysis of dynamics in the core revealed that the ApcE-C190S-PBs are less likely than WT-PBs to enter quenched states under illumination but still fully capable of doing so. This result points to an important but not exclusive role of the ApcE pigments in the light-induced intrinsic excitation energy dissipation mechanism in PBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonfa Tesfaye Assefa
- Department of Physics, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Joshua L Botha
- Department of Physics, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Bertus van Heerden
- Department of Physics, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
- Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
- National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS), Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Farooq Kyeyune
- Department of Physics, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Kyambogo University, P.O. Box 1, Kyambogo, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Tjaart P J Krüger
- Department of Physics, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
- Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
- National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS), Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Michal Gwizdala
- Department of Physics, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa.
- Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa.
- ICFO - Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels, 08860, Spain.
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Rose PA, Krich JJ. Interpretations of High-Order Transient Absorption Spectroscopies. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:10849-10855. [PMID: 38032056 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy is an invaluable tool for determining the energetics and dynamics of excited states. When pump intensities are sufficiently high, TA spectra include both the generally desired third-order response and responses that are higher in order in the field amplitudes. Recent work demonstrated that pump-intensity-dependent TA measurements allow separating the orders of response, but the information content in those higher orders has not been described. We give a general framework for understanding high-order TA spectra. We extend to higher order the fundamental processes of standard TA: ground-state bleach (GSB), stimulated emission (SE), and excited-state absorption (ESA). Each order introduces two new processes: SE and ESA from previously inaccessible highly excited states and negations of lower-order processes. We show the new spectral and dynamical information at each order and show how the relative signs of the signals in different orders can be used to identify which processes dominate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter A Rose
- Department of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Jacob J Krich
- Department of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON K1N 6N5, Canada
- Nexus for Quantum Technologies, University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON K1N 6N5, Canada
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