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4-Keto-bacteriorhodopsin films as a promising photochromic and electrochromic biological material
A B Druzhko1, S K Chamorovsky, E P Lukashev
1Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia.
Abstract:
Photochromic and electrochromic spectral properties of 4-keto-bacteriorhodopsin (4-keto-BR) embedded in a polymer matrix were studied. The light-induced spectral changes were found to be similar to those for 4-keto-BR in suspension, but the duration of the photocycle is substantially longer (up to ten of h). Application of a constant electric field induces a bathochromic shift of the main absorption band, the amplitude of the field-induced spectral changes, showing a quadratic dependence on the field strength. Polymer films containing bacteriorhodopsin analogs show promise as new spectrally-selective photochromic and electrochromic materials.