Acquisition of a Phase-Modulated Fluorimeter for Materials Research and Education

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This award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research program will support the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) with the acquisition of a Fluorolog 3-22 Lifetime System from ISA/Jobin Yvon. The instrument consists of single excitation and double collection monochromators, with fully automated entrance and exit slit control. The instrument will have an immediate impact on the research projects of four research groups at UCLA. The first group will investigate interactions between chains of semiconducting polymers and the dynamics of energy flow in aligned conjugated polymer/mesoporous silica hybrid materials. The work should provide a new understanding of these important materials that will enhance the possibility of application in organic-based displays or photovoltaic devices. The second group will study the properties of newly synthesized molecular compasses and gyroscopes, as well as explore the effects of aromatic ring rotation in conjugated molecules. The information learned from these experiments will have direct application in the production of new organic materials that should have switching properties that are faster than the fastest known ferroelectric liquid crystals. The third group will explore the synthesis and properties of novel heteroacenes, which also will have unique applications in electroluminescent and photovoltaic devices. Finally, the fourth group will use time-resolved resonance energy transfer to study the spatial distributions of molecules deliberately placed in mesostructured silicas, and time-resolved fluorescence depolarization as an in situ probe of the formation dynamics of mesostructured silica films. The information gained in these experiments will improve our understanding of how the formation of mesostructured materials can be controlled and directed. The simplicity of the instrument will ensure routine usage and great productivity, especially in an undergraduate educational environment. Undergraduate students in the physical chemistry and analytical laboratory classes will be able to routinely measure the fluorescence lifetimes of dyes and other molecules, allowing them to explore the dynamics of intramolecular electron transfer and other important photochemical reactions.This award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research program will support the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) with the acquisition of a Fluorolog 3-22 Lifetime System from ISA/Jobin Yvon. The instrument consists of single excitation and double collection monochromators, with fully automated entrance and exit slit control. The instrument will have an immediate impact on the research projects of four research groups at UCLA. The information gained in these experiments will improve our understanding of how the formation of mesostructured materials can be controlled and directed. The simplicity of the instrument will ensure routine usage and great productivity, especially in an undergraduate educational environment. Undergraduate students in the physical chemistry and analytical laboratory classes will be able to routinely measure the fluorescence lifetimes of dyes and other molecules, allowing them to explore the dynamics of intramolecular electron transfer and other important photochemical reactions.