Ultrafast Molecular Optical Switches: Design, Preparation, and Function

该奖项是由化学系先进材料计划推荐的，以支持西北大学Michael Wasielewski博士的研究。这项研究的主题是基于有机和有机金属给体-受体分子阵列中电子转移的超快光学门控的超快分子开关的设计、合成和功能。这些开关将利用高量子产额和皮秒电子转移过程来控制分子内电子的运动。我们将探索三种分子开关的方法：第一，使用光生电场来控制电子转移速率；第二，使用两个连续的光脉冲来产生阴离子或阳离子，然后将它们转移到邻近的受体或施主；第三，激发桥联发色团来控制光生电荷分离态的寿命。新型分子尺寸电子器件的成功开发有望在元件密度、响应速度和能源效率方面产生显著改善。这项研究的影响是广泛的，包括潜在的应用，如信息存储、太阳能转换和光学信号处理。

This award is recommended by the Advanced Materials Program in the Chemistry Division in support of the research of Dr. Michael Wasielewski at Northwestern University. The theme of the research is the design, synthesis and function of ultrafast molecular switches based on ultrafast optical gating of electron transfer in extended arrays of organic and organometallic donor-acceptor molecules. These switches will make use of high quantum yield and picosecond electron transfer processes to control the movement of electrons within the molecules. Three approaches to a molecular switch will be explored; first, the use of photogenerated electric fields to control electron transfer rates, second, the use of two sequential light pulses to generate radical anions or cations and then transfer them to an adjacent acceptor or donor, and third, excitation of bridging chromophores to control the lifetimes of photogenerated charge-separated states. The successful development of of new molecule-sized electronics promises to yield dramatic improvements in component density, response speed and energy efficiency. The impact of the research is broad and includes potential applications such as information storage, solar energy conversion and optical signal processing.