Abstract
Chlorophylls (Chls) are the most abundant natural photosynthetic pigments, with light harvesting and electron/energy transferring functions. We demonstrate a low-cost and environment friendly solar energy conversion and storage device, based entirely on Chl derivatives. To fabricate a hybrid capacitor, we employed zinc methyl 3-devinyl-3-hydroxymethyl-pyropheophorbide-a (Chl-1) aggregates as a positive electrode, in conjunction with an activated carbon-based negative electrode. The Chl-1 aggregates showed a typical battery characteristic with a pair of redox peaks in a three-electrode system. The gravimetric capacitance in 2 M KOH at 10 mV/s was 55.2 F/g. The hybrid capacitor, with a large potential window range from 0.6 to 1.7 V, was connected to a series trilayer Chl-based bio-solar cell for photo-charging and discharging tests. Under 1.5G illumination, the device reached its high potential window of 1.7 V in a short time and finished three charging/discharging cycles in 60 s. This study provides a unique approach for the future development of a sustainable society with green energy materials.
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