Molecular Photochemistry

Charge Transfer and Bond Activation

Charge transfer lies at the heart of functional molecules and devices. Photoexcitation is one of the simplest ways to trigger charge transfer. An absorbed photon pushes electrons from one part of the molecule to another. In the process, bonds can start to stretch or twist, leading to rich new chemistry.  We study bond activation, dissociation and rearrangement in transition metal complexes and organic macrocycles or cages.

Energy Transfer and Orbital Overlap

Energy Transfer and Spin Crossover

Some molecules such as organic dyes are highly photostable. When excited, these molecules emit light (fluorescence) and return to the ground state. Several others, especially those found in biological building blocks, show very little to no fluorescence, yet are remarkably photostable. We study ultrafast energy transfer and spin crossover mechanisms that govern the photostability or photoreactivity of complex molecules.

Chemical Transformations

Chemical Transformations

New materials for artificial photosynthesis and solar water splitting are crucial to build an energy sustainable future. We develop and study organic and inorganic layered materials with applications in photocatalysis. Vacancy defects and chemical dopants are incorporated for tuning the electronic and optical properties. These novel properties can enable chemical transformations of feedstocks into desired products.