LANGMUIR-BLODGETT MONOLAYER FILMS OF PHOTOPROTEIN SYSTEMS FOR DYNAMIC PHOTO RESPONSE TO THE SURROUNDING MEDIUM

RECENTLY, WELL ORDERED TWO-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES OF PHOTODYNAMIC PROTEINS SUCH AS PHYCOBILIPROTEINS AND BACTERIORHODOPSIN (BR) HAVE BEEN PREPARED, USING THE LANGMUIR-BLODGETT TECHNIQUE. WHILE BR PARTICIPATES IN PHOTON DRIVEN PROTON PUMPING, PHYCOBILIPROTEINS FORM PART OF THE PHOTON HARVESTING ASSEMBLIES IN CERTAIN ALGAE. THE PHOTODYNAMIC RESPONSE OF THE CROMOPHORE IN BR IS REASONABLY WELL UNDERSTOOD. THE RESPONSE OF THE TETRAPYRROLE CHROMOPHORE IN THE PHYCOBILIPROTEINS NEEDS TO BE CLEARLY ESTABLISHED. AS PHOTOINDUCED (IN THE VISIBLE SPECTRUM) STRUCTURAL AND ELECTRONIC CHANGES OCCUR IN THIS CHROMOPHORE, THE CHARACTERISTIC ELECTRONIC RESPONSE MAY BE UTILIZED TO DESIGN A PHOTORESPONSE CORRESPONDING TO THE INCIDENT SPECTRUM. IT IS PROPOSED THAT TWO-DIMENSIONAL LATTICES OF AT LEAST ONE OF THESE PHOTODYNAMIC PROTEINS BE PREPARED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN CONJUNCTION WITH AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING MOLECULAR MEDIUM. IT IS DESIRED THAT THE ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE OF THE DYNAMIC PHOTORESPONSE OF THE PROTEIN BE RECORDED VIA THE CONDUCTING SEGMENT. THIS CHARACTERISTIC ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE CAN BE SUBSEQUENTLY UTILIZED TO DRIVE MOLECULAR OPTICAL ELEMENTS MIMICKING THE INCIDENT SPECTRUM 180 DEG SHIFTED IN PHASE.