Equipment: MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a Tunable Ultrafast Spectroscopy System at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution to Enhance Undergraduate Training

West Chester University Of Pennsylvania, West Chester PA

Investigators

Abstract

Non-Technical Description: To advance the utilization of materials essential for emerging technologies such as augmented reality, quantum sensing, nanomaterial-based biosensing, artificial photosynthesis, and optogenetics, a thorough understanding of their optical and electrical properties is critical. Many of these materials properties result from processes that occur very quickly, on the order of picoseconds, and do not result in light emission. Thus, conventional emission-based spectroscopic techniques, such as photoluminescence, cannot be used. An ultra-fast transient absorption spectrometer allows for the precise measurement of the temporal variation in a material's light absorption with sub-picosecond resolution. This major research instrumentation grant adds a transient absorption spectrometer to the existing spectroscopic measurement equipment at West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCU). The instrument provides advanced hands-on training opportunities for undergraduate students at WCU to prepare them for the STEM workforce in a variety of areas, such as physics, biomedical engineering, materials engineering, chemistry, and molecular biology. Additionally, the instrument integrates into WCU's high school outreach programs. Lastly, it fosters broad collaboration and enhances student exposure to research expertise by providing access to other institutions in the greater Philadelphia area. Technical Description: This highly versatile ultrafast transient absorption spectrometer system facilitates research projects across various disciplines, offering pump and probe ranges of 258 nm - 1400 nm and 350 nm - 1000 nm, respectively. This broad range enables investigations into diverse condensed matter and biological systems. Integrated into an existing spectroscopic measurement system, the instrument allows for sub-picosecond resolution measurements, including transient absorption, photoluminescence, and time-correlated single photon counting. Researchers at WCU utilize this instrument to explore: the carrier dynamics of rare-earth-doped semiconductors for micro-display and quantum information applications, the excitation/decay dynamics of nanoporous silicon powders for biosensing, the photoinduced electron transfer involving gold nanoclusters, nitrogen-vacancy centers in nanodiamond aerogel composites for quantum sensing, etc. Furthermore, external investigators employ the instrument to probe the exciton dynamics in Rubrene and to investigate new materials for photovoltaics. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.