Metamaterial absorber-empowered light-harvesting devices

Plasmonics IV ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Yu ◽  
Zhiming Wang ◽  
Alexander Govorov
Author(s):  
Werner Kühlbrandt ◽  
Da Neng Wang ◽  
K.H. Downing

The light-harvesting chlorophyll-a/b protein complex (LHC-II) is the most abundant membrane protein in the chloroplasts of green plants where it functions as a molecular antenna of solar energy for photosynthesis. We have grown two-dimensional (2d) crystals of the purified, detergent-solubilized LHC-II . The crystals which measured 5 to 10 μm in diameter were stabilized for electron microscopy by washing with a 0.5% solution of tannin. Electron diffraction patterns of untilted 2d crystals cooled to 130 K showed sharp spots to 3.1 Å resolution. Spot-scan images of 2d crystals were recorded at 160 K with the Berkeley microscope . Images of untilted crystals were processed, using the unbending procedure by Henderson et al . A projection map of the complex at 3.7Å resolution was generated from electron diffraction amplitudes and high-resolution phases obtained by image processing .A difference Fourier analysis with the same image phases and electron diffraction amplitudes recorded of frozen, hydrated specimens showed no significant differences in the 3.7Å projection map. Our tannin treatment therefore does not affect the structural integrity of the complex.


2019 ◽  
Vol 476 (20) ◽  
pp. 2981-3018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petar H. Lambrev ◽  
Parveen Akhtar

Abstract The light reactions of photosynthesis are hosted and regulated by the chloroplast thylakoid membrane (TM) — the central structural component of the photosynthetic apparatus of plants and algae. The two-dimensional and three-dimensional arrangement of the lipid–protein assemblies, aka macroorganisation, and its dynamic responses to the fluctuating physiological environment, aka flexibility, are the subject of this review. An emphasis is given on the information obtainable by spectroscopic approaches, especially circular dichroism (CD). We briefly summarise the current knowledge of the composition and three-dimensional architecture of the granal TMs in plants and the supramolecular organisation of Photosystem II and light-harvesting complex II therein. We next acquaint the non-specialist reader with the fundamentals of CD spectroscopy, recent advances such as anisotropic CD, and applications for studying the structure and macroorganisation of photosynthetic complexes and membranes. Special attention is given to the structural and functional flexibility of light-harvesting complex II in vitro as revealed by CD and fluorescence spectroscopy. We give an account of the dynamic changes in membrane macroorganisation associated with the light-adaptation of the photosynthetic apparatus and the regulation of the excitation energy flow by state transitions and non-photochemical quenching.


2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 30901
Author(s):  
Yibo Tang ◽  
Longhui He ◽  
Jianming Xu ◽  
Hailang He ◽  
Yuhan Li ◽  
...  

A dual-band microwave metamaterial absorber with single-peak regulation and wide-angle absorption has been proposed and illustrated. The designed metamaterial absorber is consisted of hollow-cross resonators, solid-cross resonators, dielectric substrate and metallic background plane. Strong absorption peak coefficients of 99.92% and 99.55% are achieved at 8.42 and 11.31 GHz, respectively, which is basically consistent with the experimental results. Surface current density and changing material properties are employed to illustrate the absorptive mechanism. More importantly, the proposed dual-band metamaterial absorber has the adjustable property of single absorption peak and could operate well at wide incidence angles for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) waves. Research results could provide and enrich instructive guidances for realizing a single-peak-regulation and wide-angle dual-band metamaterial absorber.


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