Unravelling the photochemistry and photophysics of sunscreen filter molecules

博士论文的核心是使用时间分辨紫外和红外光谱来研究包括防晒霜过滤分子在内的新型材料的激发态动力学。该学生将在新成立的华威超快光谱中心建造一个光泵、光探针光谱仪，该中心是华威大学和EPSRC的合资企业，由纽波特光谱物理公司赞助。使用紫外/可见光激发脉冲和白光探针或红外探针，将允许学生研究防晒霜过滤分子如何吸收辐射的动力学，并在皮秒到纳秒的时间尺度上分配这种潜在的有毒能量，从而绕过任何光化学损伤。从这些研究中获得的见解将有可能有助于开发新的防晒霜过滤分子，这些分子对光降解更强，并且具有更少的不良副作用，如光接触性皮炎。拟议的工作计划位于EPSRC物理科学研究领域“化学反应动力学和机制”和“计算和理论化学”的中心，设想的产出耦合通知“化学生物学和生物化学”，“储能”和“太阳能技术”领域。这些成果将有助于“理解生命的物理”这一物理学大挑战。

The PhD thesis is centred around using time-resolved UV and IR spectroscopy to study the excited state dynamics of novel materials including sunscreen filter molecules. The student will build an optical-pump, optical-probe spectrometer at the newly-established Warwick Centre for Ultrafast Spectroscopy, a joint venture between the University of Warwick and the EPSRC, with sponsorship from Newport Spectra Physics. The use of ultraviolet/visible photoexcitation pulses and either a white light probe or IR probe, will allow the student to study the dynamics of how sunscreen filter molecules absorb radiation and distribute this potentially toxic energy on a picosecond to nanosecond timescale, thus bypassing any photochemical damage. The insights gained from these studies will potentially assist in developing new sunscreen filter molecules that are more robust to photodegradation and have fewer adverse side effects such as photocontact dermatitis. The proposed program of work sits centrally within EPSRC Physical Sciences Research Areas 'Chemical Reaction Dynamics and Mechanisms' and 'Computational and Theoretical Chemistry', and the envisioned outputs coupled inform areas of 'Chemical Biology and Biological Chemistry', 'Energy Storage' and 'Solar Technology'. The outputs should contribute to the Physics Grand Challenge Understanding the Physics of Life.