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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Novel Techniques for Observing Structural Dynamics of Photoresponsive Liquid Crystals
Published on: May 29, 2018
Dichroism and polarized fluorescence of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll c and bacteriochlorophyll a dissolved in liquid
Abstract:
Three photosynthetic pigments were studied: chlorophyll a, chlorophyll c and bacteriochlorcphyll a in nematic liquid crystal matrixes. The polarized absorption and fluorescence spectra as a function of the electric field have been measured. From the polarized components of the absorption A( parallel) and A( perpendicular) of the pigments in liquid crystals two reduced components A(x) and A(y) are calculated (x and y are the direction of the axis which is going through the second, fourth pyrrol rings, and the first, third rings, respectively). From these results the orientation of chlorophylls in liquid crystals and the configuration of the transition moments in the skeleton of the pigment molecules were determined.
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