Homogeneous electron-transfer of chlorophyll and its derivative chlorophyllin at gold electrode

Abstract

Introduction: Chlorophyll is a light harvesting pigment, which absorbs light in the visible spectrum of sunlight and promotes electron transfer, Chlorophyllin (CHL) is One of the most important derivative molecules of chlorophyll. Nowadays, chlorophyll pigment and its derivatives are utilised in organic photosynthetic solar cells for their desirable photovoltaic properties. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) is an essential technique. It is extensively used to study electroactive species to interpret the intermediates of reactions, supply information about the thermodynamics of oxidation-reduction reactions and elucidate the kinetics of electron transfer reactions. Materials and Methods: Prior to the electrochemical study, the working gold (Au) electrode surface was prepared by immersing it in the various concentrations of chlorophyllin for a period time. The electrolyte was degassed by using N2 for approximately 30 minutes inside a Faraday cage before any electrochemical experiment was performed. A three electrode system was used with, Ag/AgCl as a reference electrode, graphiteas a counter and the working electrode (Au). Results and Discussion: As a route to develop new chemical systems for artificial photosynthesis, this work reports the effectiveness of different parameters in transferring electrons between chlorophyllin (CHL) pigment and the working electrode surface (gold). These parameters such as the adsorption time, the electrolyte nature and concentration and chlorophyllin concentration are investigated. The use of chlorophyllin as a redox mediator is examined, with a gold electrode being employed. The importance of gold electrode surface preparation in determining the mechanism of redox is described, and the environment of adsorption process of the different concentrations of chlorophyllin on the surface of the gold electrode has been elucidated in this study. Conclusiones: The electrochemical method showed that the cyclic voltammetry responses of studied adsorption chlorophyllin pigment on the gold electrode were more efficient. In addition, the redox reaction was successful electrochemically in aqueous solution thanthe organic solution. It was suggested that electrons reduce to the chlorophyllin pigment by adding active species in the bulk solution homogeneous transfer. Finally, detections of chl on spinach leaves using various methods are reported.