PHOTOVOLTAIC ACTION SPECTRA AND EFFICIENCIES OF CHLOROPHYLL a SPECIES ABSORBING NEAR 700 nm

Abstract— Alcohol vapors affect the photovoltaic properties of anhydrous chlorophyll a (Chi a). At 23°C, a photovoltaic cell of the type Allanhydrous Chi a|Ag has been successively submitted to non saturating vapors of methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, cyclopropyl carbinol, cyclopentanol, methyl cyclopropyl carbinol, 1-butanol, 1-pentanol and chloroethanol. The action spectrum of anhydrous Chi a has a maximum in the red at 672 nm. This maximum is shifted towards 700 nm under the influence of alcohol vapors. The most important changes occur for ethanol, 1-propanol and 2-propanol. In the same way, the conversion efficiencies of light energy into electrical energy, measured at the maximum in the red are, for the same alcohols, higher than the initial value 1.7 times 10^-2% obtained on the average for anhydrous Chi a. A maximum value of 6.3 times 10^-2% has been obtained after rehydration of Chi a solvated with 2-propanol. The influence of alcohol vapors has been interpreted in terms of microcapillarity of anhydrous Chi a and a mean microcavity radius of 11 ± 6 Å has been deduced from the photocurrent variation with the amount of alcohol vapor present in the measuring area. Furthermore, the action spectrum shift towards 700 nm has been interpreted by the formation, at 23°C, of Chi a special aggregates whose action spectrum has been obtained by difference. Infrared spectroscopy demonstrated that anhydrous Chi a obtained from electrodeposition is an assembly of Chi a dimers and that alcohol vapors, producing the special aggregates formation at 23°C, induce a decrease of the free C=O ketone band and an increase of the associated C=O ketone. The C=O esters band is not affected by the Chi a reorganization.