An Electrochemical Reaction-Diffusion Model of the Photocatalytic Effect of Photosystem I Multilayer Films

By Robinson, Maxwell T.; Cliffel, David E; Jennings, G. Kane
Published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry B

Abstract

The photosynthetic protein, Photosystem I (PSI), has been used as a photoactive species within a host of biohybrid photoelectrochemical systems. PSI multilayer films at electrode surfaces provide greatly improved solar energy conversion relative to homologous monolayer films. While the photocatalytic effect of PSI multilayers has been theorized as an electrolyte-mediated mechanism, no comprehensive, first-principles modeling study has been presented. In this work, we develop and optimize an electrochemical reaction-diffusion model to replicate the significant electrochemical, physicochemical, and transport processes that underpin photocurrent development of a PSI multilayer film. We use this model to provide strong evidence that PSI

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