Coherent and Incoherent Energy Transfer in Conjugated Molecules

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This project, funded by the Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms Program of the Division of Chemistry, supports Valeria Kleiman from the University of Florida to investigate energy migration in conjugated model systems, the material of choice for organic solar cells. The scientific goals will be achieved through the combination of phase sensitive transient techniques with computational tools to investigate excited state electronic coupling in conjunction with nuclear motion. Materials under investigation will include building blocks for conjugated macromolecules and chemically modified dendritic structures with variable band gap energies which can be used for solar energy conversion. A broad impact in the community is expected through a strong educational effort intended to yield highly educated scientists, well versed on the latest tools of state of the art spectroscopy and theoretical calculations regarding light harvesting materials.Solar energy conversion has the potential to provide enough energy to fuel the planet, but it requires an understanding of the fundamental properties to be able to create efficient and economic solar energy conversion devices. This proposal addresses these goals by focusing on the initial light harvesting step.