Porphyrins as key components for photoinduced charge separation, solar cells, and optogenetics

This review presents typical examples of porphyrins, which serve as highly effective building blocks, primarily drawn from our past achievements. They function as both an electron donor and an energy donor/acceptor in various applications. These applications include photosynthetic and solar cell models, dye-sensitized solar cells, bulk heterojunction solar cells, and optogenetics based on photoinduced charge separation. Consequently, porphyrins are essential components for evaluating energy and electron transfer properties, as well as for energy and biological applications.