title: Enhanced energy transport in genetically engineered excitonic networks.
abstract: One of the challenges for achieving efficient exciton transport in solar energy conversion systems is precise structural control of the light-harvesting building blocks. Here, we create a tunable material consisting of a connected chromophore network on an ordered biological virus template. Using genetic engineering, we establish a link between the inter-chromophoric distances and emerging transport properties. The combination of spectroscopy measurements and dynamic modelling enables us to elucidate quantum coherent and classical incoherent energy transport at room temperature. Through genetic modifications, we obtain a significant enhancement of exciton diffusion length of about 68% in an intermediate quantum-classical regime.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.|The David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Heechul
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.|The David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.|Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Nimrod
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Heldman
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rebentrost
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Non-Conventional Energy, Istituto eni Donegani, eni S.p.A., Novara 28100, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Abbondanza
authors.affiliation: European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy.|INO CNR, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iagatti
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Non-Conventional Energy, Istituto eni Donegani, eni S.p.A., Novara 28100, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alessi
authors.affiliation: European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Patrizi
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Non-Conventional Energy, Istituto eni Donegani, eni S.p.A., Novara 28100, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salvalaggio
authors.affiliation: European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bussotti
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mohseni
authors.affiliation: European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy.|QSTAR and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Florence 50125, Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8366-4296
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Hannah C
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6443-0390
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Johnsen
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Non-Conventional Energy, Istituto eni Donegani, eni S.p.A., Novara 28100, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fusco
authors.affiliation: European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy.|INO CNR, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy.|Department of Chemistry, University of Perugia, Perugia 06123, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Foggi
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Non-Conventional Energy, Istituto eni Donegani, eni S.p.A., Novara 28100, Italy.
authors.forename: Petra F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Scudo
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.|Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Seth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.|The David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.|Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Belcher
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D004563:Electrochemistry; D004735:Energy Transfer; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D008422:Materials Testing; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D013696:Temperature