Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026

In Vitro Reconstitution of Light-harvesting Complexes of Plants and Green Algae
Published on: October 10, 2014
Metal-enhanced fluorescence of chlorophylls in single light-harvesting complexes
Sebastian Mackowski1, Stephan Wörmke, Andreas J Maier
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Butenandtstrasse 11, D-81377 Munich, Germany.
Abstract:
Ensemble and single-molecule spectroscopy demonstrates that both emission and absorption of peridinin-chlorophyll-protein photosynthetic antennae can be largely enhanced through plasmonic interactions. We find up to 18-fold increase of the chlorophyll fluorescence for complexes placed near a silver metal layer. This enhancement, which leaves no measurable effects on the protein structure, is observed when exciting either chlorophyll or carotenoid and is attributed predominantly to an increase of the excitation rate in the antenna. The enhancement mechanism comes from plasmon-induced amplification of electromagnetic fields inside the complex. This result is an important step toward applying plasmonic nanostructures for controlling the optical response of complex biomolecules and improving the design and functioning of artificial light-harvesting systems.
Related Concept Videos
The Antenna Complex
Variables Affecting Phosphorescence and Fluorescence
Photosystems
Functioning of Photosystems
Photosystems contain many pigment molecules, such as chlorophylls and carotenoids, arranged in a particular organization across two domains — the antenna complex and the reaction center. The main aim of the pigment molecules...
Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy
Photosystem II
The pigment molecules are arranged across two photosystem domains — the antenna complex and the reaction center. The main aim of the pigment molecules...
The Photochemical Reaction Center

