Photocurrent Enhancement in a Generalized Quantum Photocell with Multi-Donor Architectures

TL;DR

This paper introduces a scalable quantum photocell model with multiple donors, demonstrating that increasing donor count enhances photocurrent and power output through collective quantum effects, inspired by biological light-harvesting complexes.

Contribution

The study develops a generalized N-donor quantum photocell model, revealing superlinear photocurrent enhancement due to collective effects, advancing biomimetic quantum photovoltaic design.

Findings

Photocurrent and power output increase superlinearly with donor number.

Collective excitation dynamics enhance charge transport.

Donor network topology critically influences efficiency.

Abstract

In this study, we present a generalized quantum photocell model inspired by biological light-harvesting complexes, designed to probe the influence of donor multiplicity on photovoltaic performance. Building upon earlier two and three-donor systems, we introduce a scalable architecture comprising N independent donor molecules symmetrically arranged around a central acceptor. By modeling the system as a quantum heat engine and solving the master equation under the Born-Markov approximation, we uncover that increasing the number of donors leads to a superlinear enhancement in photocurrent and output power. Specifically, the current does not merely scale linearly with the number of donors but exhibits a marked increase due to collective excitation dynamics and enhanced charge transport. Our results reveal the critical role of donor network topology and aggregation in optimizing quantum photovoltaic efficiency and underscore the potential of biomimetic quantum architectures for next-generation solar energy conversion.