Spectrophotometer with variable temperature cell for the study of electronically labile materials

我们的总体研究计划集中在制备和研究可以“切换”其性质的分子的新变体。特别是，我们正在研究可以在不同温度下改变其磁性的新材料：在更高的温度下，这些系统表现出可测量的磁性（称为“顺磁性”），随着样品冷却，分子的电子结构发生变化，结果是任何顺磁性的消失（我们称之为“抗磁性”）。我们对这些材料很感兴趣，因为它们是真正的开关设备，但在尽可能小的水平上：分子尺度。目前的科学研究主要集中在微小分子尺度上制造宏观电子器件/元件，如电线、晶体管等。在这些尺度上，我们的分子设备将展示出远远优于类似的宏观设备的特性，结果将是极快的计算能力和海量的数据存储能力，这只是举几个例子。当然，这些材料需要准备和研究。研究“分子开关”的一种方法是追踪温度变化时分子内发生的电子变化。随着分子电子结构的改变，其吸收不同频率光的能力也随之改变。有了NSERC要求的光谱仪，我们现在可以在实验室里研究我们系统的这些物理变化。

Our general research programme is focused on the preparation and study of new variants of molecules that can "switch" their properties.  In particular, we are investigating new materials that can change their magnetic properties at different temperatures:  At higher temperatures these systems exhibit measureable magnetic properties (known as "paramagnetism") and as the sample is cooled, the molecules undergo a change in their electronic structure and the result is a disappearance of any paramagnetism (we call this state "diamagnetism").     We are interested in these materials because they are truly switching devices but on the smallest possible level:  the molecular scale.  Current scientific research is focused on making macroscopic electronic devices/components, like wires, transistors, etc.,  on the tiny molecular scale.  At these scales, our molecular devices will exhibit properties that are vastly superior to the analogous macroscopic devices and the result will be extremely fast computing power and massive data storage capabilities, just to name a couple.     Of course, these materials need to be prepared and studied.  One method used to study "molecular switches" is to track the electronic changes that occur within the molecule as the temperature is changed.  As the electronic structure of the molecule changes, so does its ability to absorb different frequencies of light.  With the spectrometer we have requested from NSERC, we can now study these physical changes in our systems in our lab as we make them.