Photoinduced Charge Separation in Metalloprotein-Based Systems: Theory and Experiment

Abstract: To unravel and understand fundamental aspects of ultrafast charge generation in protein-based systems upon optical excitation and its separation by long-range electron transfer. Particular goals are:
1. To design new protein-based systems capable of photoinduced charge separation.
2. To understand and optimize functioning of protein-based photoredox systems, that is electron-transfer (ET) rates, as well as yields and lifetimes of separated charges.
3. To find and understand mechanisms of ET acceleration, namely by multistep tunneling and coupling between ET and protein structural dynamics.
4. To establish and demonstrate the possibility of photoinduced charge separation using a protein-based light harvesting systems in membranes.