Molecular assembly of Zn porphyrin complexes onto a gold electrode using synthetic light-harvesting model polypeptides

Molecular assembly of Zn porphyrin pigments, Zn substituted bacteriochlorophyll a ([Zn]-BChl a) and Zn mesoporphyrin monomer (ZnMPMME) on a gold electrode using synthetic 1α-helix hydrophobic polypeptides which have similar amino acid sequences to the hydrophobic core in the native photosynthetic light-harvesting (LH) 1-β polypeptide from Rhodobacter sphaeroides, has been achieved: this process is dependent on the structures of pigments and polypeptides. Interestingly, an enhanced photoelectric current was observed when ZnMPMME with the LH1 model polypeptide in an α-helical configuration was assembled onto the electrode.