The Advanced Materials Program in the Chemistry Division supports this award to Northwestern University to design, synthesize and develop novel multifunctional fluorophores that combine fast unidirectional internal photoinduced electron transfer with efficient fluorescence from the charge-separated species. With this award, Professor Michael Wasielewski will study molecular structural features to tailor optical and electronic properties of these materials as desired. Molecular design incorporating perylene derivatives will be used to design molecular switches for potential applications in molecular devices. Graduate students will greatly benefit from training and research opportunities provided by this award in materials chemistry and in photophysical property characterization of materials.
With this award, ultra fast optical gating of electrons in synthetic molecular entities will be studied using photoexcitation. Molecules will be designed, synthesized and derivatives incorporated, and these molecules will be characterized by time-resolved femtosecond laser spectroscopic methods. Design of molecular switches with potential application in molecular devices will be one of the out come of these studies. Students will greatly benefit from training and research opportunities provided by this award in materials chemistry, and in characterization of photophysical properties of materials.
