Purchase of a Departmental Nanosecond Transient Absorption Spectrometer

University Of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa AL

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF) Program, the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa will acquire a nanosecond transient absorption spectrometer. Research will focus on photoinduced electron transfer studies, including a) measurement of electron transfer rates in redox-gradient dendrimers; b) use of fast spectroscopy to understand the phylloquinone cofactor in Photosystem I; and c) investigations of photochemistry in novel chromophores for optical data storage. Transient absorption spectroscopy is an extremely versatile tool that can be used to probe fundamental photophysical and photochemical processes. These studies will have an impact in a number of areas including materials science and biochemistry.