Orchestrating Photochemistry, Energy Transfer and Electron Transfer in Multichromophoric Molecular Systems

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With this renewal proposal the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program continues its support for the work of Drs. Devens J. Gust, Anna L. Moore, and Thomas A. Moore of the Department of Chemistry at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The research is aimed at the synthesis and investigation of molecular photochemical energy conversion devices, which mimic the elements of natural photosynthetic systems including photochemical excitation, charge separation, and energy storage. These goals will be accomplished through the synthesis of "Supermolecules" based on porphyrins, fullerenes, and carotenoid polyenes. These supramolecular species undergo photochemically induced electron transfer to produce long-lived energetic species. The molecules will be coupled to photochromic species that are isomerized by light into colored and colorless forms in order to create light activated molecular switches. This research by Professors Gust and coworkers has the potential of aiding the development of practical photoelectronic devices that are able to convert solar energy into stored chemical energy with an efficiency that rivals that of green plants. With support from the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program, Professor Gust and coworkers will carry out collaborations with coworkers at the undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral levels. The project, which requires a combination of many skills and techniques including organic chemistry, spectroscopy, biochemistry, and quantum chemistry, will provide important interdisciplinary research training for the students involved. Although fundamental in nature, the research is expected to provide a basis for advances in solar energy utilization, molecule-based sensing, and data processing, storage and transmission, and for a better understanding of biological electron and energy transfer processes.