PHOTOINDUCED ELECTRON-TRANSFER IN MOLECULAR HETEROJUNCTIONS USING FLAVIN-PORPHYRIN LANGMUIR-BLODGETT MULTILAYERS

Photo-induced electron transfer in hetero-type Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) multilayers using flavin and porphyrin, which are typical of the redox groups in the biological electron transfer system, has been investigated in terms of transient photocurrent properties. Transient photocurrent properties of a flavin-porphyrin molecular heterojunction cell, were elucidated by a kinetic model of photophysical processes (photo-excitation of flavin, charge separation between excited flavin and prophyrin, and inter-monolayer charge shift). Thus, we may conclude that the mechanism underlying the high photoconductivity of the molecular heterojunction cell is based on the redox potential difference between flavin and porphyrin.