Photophysics and photochemistry of potentially useful materials

光引发的化学和物理过程是 是地球上生命的中心。对自然光驱动过程的早期研究，如 因为光合作用和视觉不可避免地会让好奇的人 关于这些现象的基本问题。“它的本质是什么？ 光？“”光如何与物质和物质相互作用？ 什么后果？？这些答案为新的 技术、健康改善和财富创造超越第一 提问者最疯狂的想象：激光技术、光纤 通信、光学数据存储、用于捕获的人工方法和 太阳能的储存，废水处理的光化学方法， 光动力疗法治疗某些类型的癌症和黄斑变性。整体 目前，工业的基础是激光的产生及其在 光子器件、微机械加工和许多其他应用。更多内容正在上演 地平线。光驱动分子逻辑器件、光量子计算、 对光化学和光物理过程的相干控制，更有效 光伏设备、更清晰的生物医学成像和许多其他 申请正在积极调查中。在我们的研究小组中，我们继续 要解决有关化学和物理影响的基本问题 物质对光的吸收，我们获得的信息继续寻找 在这些和其他重要领域的应用。我们的具体目标是 研究分子在高激发态下的结构和动力学行为 电子态。我们30年前所做的基础研究现在发现 聚光聚合物和展品在设计和制造中的应用 我们感兴趣的分子是如何结合到光驱动的 分子电子器件，如开关和逻辑门。在过去6年中 多年来，我们一直使用我们在激发态光物理上的工作来证明 一种提高染料增感效率的新方法的原理 太阳能光伏电池。在我们的研究领域接受过培训的年轻科学家 实验室现在可以在研发、技术、教学中找到 以及大学、政府实验室和 世界各地的工业。

Chemical and physical processes initiated by light are central to life on earth. Early studies of natural light-driven processes such as photosynthesis and vision led curious minds inevitably to ask the most fundamental questions about these phenomena. "What is the nature of light?" "How does light interact with material substances and with what consequence?" The answers have provided the basis for new technologies, improvements in health and wealth creation beyond the first questioners' wildest imaginations: laser technologies, fibre optic communications, optical data storage, artificial methods for the capture and storage of solar energy, photochemical methods of wastewater treatment, photodynamic therapy for some types of cancer and macular degeneration. Whole industries are presently based on the generation of laser light and its use in photonic devices, micromachining and a host of other applications. More is on the horizon. Light-driven molecular logic devices, optical quantum computing, coherent control of photochemical and photophysical processes, more efficient photovoltaic devices, clearer biomedical imaging and numerous other applications are under active investigation. In our research group we continue to address fundamental questions about the chemical and physical effects of the absorption of light by matter, and the information we obtain continues to find application in these and other important areas. Our specific aims are to examine the structure and dynamic behaviour of molecules in highly excited electronic states. Fundamental research that we did 30 years ago now finds application in designing and fabricating light-harvesting polymers and shows how molecules of interest to us could be incorporated into light-driven molecular electronics devices as switches and logic gates. Over the last 6 years we have used our work on excited state photophysics to demonstrate proof of principle of a novel method for improving the efficiencies of dye-sensitized solar photovoltaic cells. The young scientists that have been trained in our laboratories may now be found in research and development, technical, teaching and administrative positions in universities, government laboratories and industries around the world.