Plants have perfected the art of capturing sunlight through elegant rings of pigments in their leaves, enabling efficient energy flow during photosynthesis.
Now, researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have made a breakthrough by creating synthetic molecular rings that replicate this natural energy circulation found in plants and flowers.
These human-made molecules self-assemble into stacked ring structures where charge and energy can move freely, closely mimicking the light-harvesting pigment rings in plant leaves.
This innovation could revolutionize how we capture light and transport energy, paving the way for advanced solar technologies and next-generation electronics.
The team used phthalocyanines—flat, dye-like molecules common in solar cells and pigments—to build rings with 16 stacked layers. These molecules interlock like gears, creating a circular pathway that allows energy and electrons to circulate continuously, just as they do in natural photosynthetic systems.
X-ray crystallography confirmed the formation of these molecular rings, while spectroscopic studies showed clear evidence of energy flow around the structure.
This marks the first demonstration of intermolecular toroidal conjugation, a key feature of plant pigment rings that enables efficient light absorption and energy transfer.
This synthetic approach not only deepens our understanding of how plants and flowers harness sunlight but also opens new possibilities for designing energy-efficient materials inspired by nature’s own systems.
The researchers plan to expand their work to create a variety of molecular assemblies that could transform energy generation and optoelectronics in the future.
