Purchase of a Picosecond Fluorescence Spectrometer

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

This award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF) Program will enable the Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign to purchase a picosecond fluorescence spectrometer. This equipment will be used primarily by junior faculty member Christopher Bardeen, whose research focuses on the use of optical techniques with high temporal and spatial resolution to observe dynamics in complex systems in materials science and biology. Specifically, Dr. Bardeen will study the dynamics of energy and charge transport in conjugated polymers; and the photochemistry of photosensitizers in biological media. In materials science, conjugated polymers and oligomers are of interest for applications in light emitting diodes and flat panel displays. In biology, fluorescent dyes are commonly used as labels for examination of intracellular biochemistry. More recently, photosensitizers have been used for the treatment of many diseases, including cancer, in a procedure known as photodynamic therapy.