title: Photoinduced proton transport mechanism in merocyanine-dye-probed planar lipid membranes.
abstract: Planar lipid membranes were used to study photovoltage generation after the incorporation of various merocyanine dyes. These dyes undergo photochemical isomerization on illumination and can act as a photon-driven facilitated proton transport system under suitable conditions. This system has the advantage of preventing back recombination of the photodissociated charges, thus improving its storage capacity. A sufficiently high photovoltage, with a long storage time and good reproducibility, was obtained with these dyes. The spectral studies indicate the formation of a 1:1 complex between dye and lipid molecules. Our results show that the strength and stability of complex formation increase with the hydrophobicity of the dye which, in turn, increase the magnitude and storage of the photovoltage generated in the system.
authors.affiliation: Physics Department, Jadavpur University, Calcutta, India.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Basu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nandy
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes; D002784:Cholesterol; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008027:Light; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008954:Models, Biological; D009795:Octanes; D010777:Photochemistry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D011744:Pyrimidinones; D013053:Spectrophotometry / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D009795:Octanes; D011744:Pyrimidinones; C003954:merocyanine dye; D002784:Cholesterol; C012867:decane; C026728:octane