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Enhanced fluorescence of photosynthetic pigments through conjugation with carbon quantum dots

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Abstract

Light harvesting in photosynthesis is currently an issue on-debate and studied widely in all over the world. Studies on light harvesting mainly focus on enlightening molecular mechanism of the process and enhancing absorption capacity of light harvesting complexes (LHCs). Enhancement of absorption capacity of LHCs can be done either by natural methods or by synthetic methods. Quantum dots (QDs), fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals, are important constituents of inorganic–organic hybrid structures which are built to enhance absorption capacity of LHCs through synthetic methods. In this study, we synthesized carbon and heteroatom doped carbon QDs through a microwave assisted synthesis method. Each QD had unique photophysical and structural properties. Photosynthetic pigments (PP) (isolated from spinach leaves) were mixed with each QD separately to build a QD–PP hybrid structure. Our results revealed that significant amount of energy is transferred from carbon QDs to PPs and therefore chlorophyll fluorescence capacity of PPs enhanced significantly in 360–420 nm excitation wavelength interval. Our results suggested that non-toxic, inexpensive and easily synthesized carbon QDs can be an important constituent for hybrid structures to enhance absorption capacity of LHCs in highly energetic region of visible spectrum.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Ahmet Gül for support and letting use of UV–Vıs spectrometer. We also thank Dr. Bünyamin Karagöz and his laboratory crew for support and letting use of Fluorescence Spectrometer. We would like to thank Dr. İsmail Koyuncu for the FTIR measurements and data analysis. The FTIR measurements and data analysis were performed in MEM-TEK (National Membrane Technologies Research and Development Center). The TEM measurements and data analysis were performed in Eskişehir Osmangazi University—Central Research Laboratory and Application Center.

Funding

This work was supported by TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) under Career Development Programme for Young Researchers (Career Programme) (Programme No: 3501) [Grant number: 118Z259].

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EB and CÜ designed research; EB, DE performed research; CÜ, EB and DE analyzed data; CÜ and EB wrote the paper.

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Correspondence to Caner Ünlü.

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CÜ has received research grants from TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey). The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Budak, E., Erdoğan, D. & Ünlü, C. Enhanced fluorescence of photosynthetic pigments through conjugation with carbon quantum dots. Photosynth Res 147, 1–10 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-020-00786-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-020-00786-z

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