The Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program at NSF Division of Chemistry will support the international collaborative research project of Prof. Peter Lu of Bowling Green State University and Prof. Alfred Meixner of Eberhar-Karls University of Tubingen, Germany. Profs. Lu and Meixner, and their students will focus their study on characterizing the processes of dye-TiO2 surface chemical bonding, vibronic coupling, and interfacial electron transfer (IET) associated with vibrational relaxation energy barriers. The project will adavance fundamental understanding of the spatially heterogenous energetics that regulates IET processes. The collaborative study will result in a new and improved spectroscopic method with the capability to interrogate in real time the dynamic relationship between the interface structure and energy when IET occurs. The advanced knowledge and technology developed in this project will significantly impact the thinking of condensed-phase physical and chemical dynamics and ultimately enhance research on new energy sciences. The international collaboration between the US and German research groups will provide excellent training opportunities and invaluable international experience to students participating in this research project.
This international collaborative research project is supported jointly by NSF and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) of Germany. The study is also supported by the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) at NSF.
