Electrical characterization of chlorophyll

The localization of electron in the molecule structure of chlorophyll has been found to exhibit conducting characteristic as semiconductor materials. To obtain a complete picture of this behavior, the energy gap, dark electrical conductivity and current-voltage characterization of chlorophyll have been measured at room temperature. A simple diode has been fabricated using chlorophyll thin film by the spin coating technique. Indium tin oxide (ITO) and aluminum layers were used as their electrodes. The energy gap of chlorophyll was found to be 5.15 eV and the average electrical conductivity was 1.92 x 10^-9 Ω^-1m^-1 . The forward current-voltage measurement indicated a bias voltage in the range of 0.540 V to 0.996 V. The backward current-voltage measurement showed a bias voltage in the range of -0.0 12 V to -1.032 V. Beyond the reading of 0.996 V and -1.032 V for the forward and the backward voltages the current increased slowly.