Project description
Imaging the light-to-charge transfer path in photosynthesis
Plant life is powered by highly efficient photosynthesis, but the exact mechanisms behind it are still a mystery. The EU-funded FastTrack project aims to better understand how nature converts and transports such solar energy. Researchers will investigate how energy is transported on the nanoscale by using super-resolved optical microscopy to track membrane transport and quantify diffusion. They will also quantify the rate and efficiency of charge separation in photosynthesis reaction centres using ultrafast photo-thermoelectric graphene and photo-electrochemical detection. Finally, the project will use spectroscopic and functional imaging to visualise how membranes respond, specifically changes in packing density, order, diffusion and charge separation pathways. The objective is to eventually develop artificial photosynthesis for use in solar power.
Objective
The conversion of sunlight photons to electrons is the essence of the natural photosynthesis that powers life. Dedicated antennas funnel the sun’s energy towards reaction centres. Amazingly, nature reaches almost perfect photon-to-electron conversion efficiency, while it regulates down at high light level for protection and survival.
How does nature dynamically re-organize the membrane architecture, its packing, order, diffusion, on light stress? Which pathways are taken to charge separation? What is the role of fluctuations, coherences, color and vibrations?
My group recently succeeded in first detection of the fs spectral progression of a single exciton, the nanoscale tracking of electron transport and reveal energy disorder of a single photosynthetic complex. These pioneering results, together with our expertise in fs pulse control and nanoimaging, set the grounds to now address photosynthetic light-to-charge transfer in real nanospace and ultrafast. Specific objectives are:
Energy transport on the nanoscale: tracking spatiotemporal membrane transport by super-resolved transient optical microscopy and nanophotonic light localization: to reveal disorder and quantify diffusion.
Light to charge: photo-current detection of the energy flow: by ultrafast photo-thermoelectric graphene and photo-electrochemical detection I will probe charge separation of the reaction center directly, quantify rate and efficiency.
Multidimensional spectra on the nanoscale: by collinear 2D spectroscopic imaging with photocurrent and fluorescence detection, I will map the development of the energy landscape, at special membrane spots, ultimately on a single complex.
Functional imaging: visualize the dynamic light-response of the membrane architecture, the changes in packing density, (dis)order, diffusion and pathways to charge separation.
The novel tool-set of FastTrack and the insights on nature’s energy strategies are directly relevant for artificial photosynthesis and solar technology.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energysolar energy
- engineering and technologynanotechnologynano-materialstwo-dimensional nanostructuresgraphene
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsmicroscopy
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbotany
- natural sciencesphysical sciencestheoretical physicsparticle physicsphotons
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-AG - HORIZON Action Grant Budget-BasedHost institution
08860 Castelldefels
Spain