Solar energy conversion-natural to artificial

Abstract

Photosynthesis is the process by which energy of light is converted into chemical energy by plants, algae and photosynthetic bacteria. For this, highly specialized pigment-proteins have evolved that capture the light and transform the short-lived excited states of pigment molecules into a stable transmembrane potential. By close scrutiny of organization and processes of the photosynthetic pigment systems a number of "design principles" can be recognized. By combining knowledge about structure and light converting energy and electron transfer processes, we can identify the most important features for efficient photosynthetic solar energy conversion. We will also consider two types of nanostructured materials used for solar cell applications and identify conceptual similarities and differences compared to the natural systems. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.