U.S.-Japan Cooperative Science: Vibrational Dynamics of Liquids and Liquids in Confinement

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9981390FourkasThis award supports a three year collaborative research project between Professor John Fourkas at Boston College in Massachusetts and Professor Keisuke Tominaga of Kobe University in Japan. The researchers will be undertaking a study of vibrational dynamics of liquids and liquids in confinement. They will combine experimental and theoretical collaborative research to develop a detailed understanding of the effects of nanoconfinement on the properties of liquids. The experimental facet would involve using one-dimensional and multidimensional ultrafast nonlinear spectroscopic techniques to study the orientational and vibrational properties of liquids confined in nanoporous sol-gel glasses. The theoretical portion would include development of realistic molecular dynamics simulations of liquids confined in nanoporous glasses in order to provide a more detailed interpretation of experimental results, as well as development of an improved theoretical description of multidimensional Raman spectroscopies. The project brings together the efforts of two laboratories that have complementary expertise and research capabilities that are not available in any single laboratory in the world. Results of the research could result in a significantly improved understanding of nanoconfinement on the properties of liquids. This may lead to improvements in technologies for processes such as separations, heterogeneous catalysis, oil recovery and lubrication. The project advances international human resources through the participation of graduate students. Through the exchange of ideas and technology, this project will broaden our base of basic knowledge and promote international understanding and cooperation. Results of the research will be published in scientific journals and also on their Web site (http://chemserv.bc.edu/fourkas/).***