A QUANTITATIVE COMPARISON OF CHLOROPHYLL BILAYERS FORMED WITH AND WITHOUT SOLVENT

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Abstract
Bimolecular lipid membranes are formed from solutions containing lecithin and chlorophyll‐a (chl‐a) in various molar ratios. Both the Mueller‐Ruding technique as well as the solvent free, Montal‐Mueller technique are used to form bilayers. In both methods, increasing the chl concentration produces greater photosensitivity. The photocurrent/area is about an order of magnitude higher in bilayers formed with the solvent free method, under similar conditions. From the quantum yield calculations, it appears that the higher photocurrent/area obtained with the Montal‐Mueller membranes cannot be explained solely due to the greater concentration of pigment molecules in the solvent free system. The possible role of chl—chl interactions are considered.