Abstract
ELECTRON transport across a membrane is central to photosynthesis, to mitochondrial respiration and to the design of molecular systems for solar energy conversion. Relatively few synthetic molecules, however, have been shown to facilitate trans-port of electrons across a lipid bilayer1–3. We report here that C70 can act as both a photosensitizer for electron transfer from a donor molecule and a mediator for electron transport across a lipid bilayer membrane. The steady-state photocurrent density obtained from the C70–bilayer system is about 40 times higher, at comparable light intensities, than that of the carotene–porphyrin–quinone system2, previously the most efficient artificial system. The C70–bilayer system has a quantum yield of about 0.04, while the stability (tens of minutes) and turnover number (electrons transported per C70 before decay) of 103 are one to three orders of magnitude greater than those of other systems1–3. We anticipate that other higher fullerenes may also provide the basis for efficient transmembrane electron-transport systems.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Feldberg, S. W., Armen, G. H., Bell, J. A., Chang, C. K. & Wang, C. B. Biophys. J. 34, 149–163 (1981).
Seta, P. et al. Nature 316, 651–655 (1985).
Seta, P., Bienvenue, E., Maillard, P. & Momenteau, M. Photochem. Photobiol. 49, 537–543 (1989).
Sension, R. J., Szarka, A. Z., Smith, G. R. & Hochetrasser, R. M. Chem. Phys. Lett 185, 179–183 (1991).
Arbogast, J. W., Foote, C. S. & Kao, M. J. Am. chem. Soc. 114, 2277–2279 (1992).
Kamat, P. V. J. Am. chem. Soc. 113, 9705–9707 (1991).
Miller, B. et al. J. Am. chem. Soc. 113, 6291–6293 (1991).
Wang, Y. Nature 356, 585–587 (1992).
Hwang, K. C. & Mauzerall, D. J. Am. chem. Soc. 114, 9705–9706 (1992).
Clark, W. M. Oxidation-Reduction Potentials of Organic Systems, 470 (Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1960).
Allemand, P. M. et al. J. Am. chem. Soc. 113, 1050–1051 (1991).
Wasielewski, M. R., O'Neil, M. P., Lykke, K. R., Pellin, M. J. & Gruen, P. M. J. Am. chem. Soc. 113, 2774–2776 (1991).
Hung, R. R. & Grabouski, J. J. J. phys. Chem. 95, 6073–6075 (1991).
Kim, D., Lee, M., Suh, Y. D. & Kim, S. K. J. Am. chem. Soc. 114, 4429–4430 (1992).
Ilani, A. & Mauzerall, D. Biophys. J. 35, 79–92 (1981).
Drain, M. & Mauzerall, D. Biophys. J. 63, 1556–1563 (1992).
Krasne, S., Eisenman, G. & Szabo, G. Science 174, 412–415 (1971).
Mountz, J. M. & Tien, H. T. Photochem. Photobiol. 28, 395–400 (1978).
Ajie, H. et al. J. phys. Chem. 94, 8630–8633 (1990).
Benesch, R. E. & Benesch, R. Science 11, 447–448 (1953).
Schuhannk, W., Ohara, T. J., Schmidt, H. L. & Heller, A. J. Am. chem. Soc. 113, 1394–1397 (1991).
Hong, F. T. & Mauzerall, D. J. electrochem. Soc. 123, 1317–1324 (1976).
Iijima, S. Nature 354, 56–58 (1991).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hwang, K., Mauzerall, D. Photoinduced electron transport across a lipid bilayer mediated by C70. Nature 361, 138–140 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/361138a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/361138a0
This article is cited by
-
Permeation pathway of two hydrophobic carbon nanoparticles across a lipid bilayer
Journal of Chemical Sciences (2021)
-
Light-activated calcium gradients
Nature Materials (2002)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.