Biomimetic Templated Self-Assembly of Light Harvesting Nanostructures. Final report
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
In this project we were interested in studying the self-assembly of supramolecular antenna-like structures with very specific features using block copolymers as templates. This system mimics naturally-occurring ultra-efficient light harvesting antennas found in Green Sulfur Bacteria, so-called Chlorosomes. The complex organization of these antennas, which are composed of small organic chromophores (BacterioChlorophyl C in this case) is dictated by the shape of the mesostructure as well as the internal interactions between the chromophores themselves and the polymer-chromophore interactions. With this in mind, the overall aim of this project is to find which are the design rules for creating tailored antenna–like assemblies. A desired outcome would be to use single molecules that have already been shown to be functional and incorporate them to block copolymers to obtain the desired enhanced functionality. We have come a long way into understanding how to achieve this as shown in this report, both theoretically and experimentally. Along the way, we were also interested in developing new computational techniques for studying such self-assembly processes and insights from this system that may be of help in other fields. Such has been the case and we have discovered new phases of self-assembling matter, their limits and those of active matter as well.
- Research Organization:
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division
- DOE Contract Number:
- ER46919; SC0010428
- OSTI ID:
- 1557669
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-MIT-46919; TRN: US2000043
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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