The human eye is an exquisite optical system with the ability to detect individual photons at room temperature. However, the complexity of this system, optimized over millions of years, has been difficult to reproduce using synthetic techniques. Here we discuss a bio-inspired approach for photon detection based on chromophore/nanotube hybrids, where the chromophore plays a similar role to the retinal molecule in the human eye, and the signal transduction is provided by electronic transport in the carbon nanotube. In this presentation, I will present the concept and discuss our progress in realizing this type of photodetection mechanism.
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