Molecular Photonic Materials

约翰·霍普金斯大学的杰拉尔德·迈耶（Gerald Meyer）的研究设计了一种分子材料，可以将可见光转化为势能，并能长时间储存这种能量，他的研究得到了化学系的支持。Meyer教授将利用稳态和时间分辨电化学和光谱技术来表征在由宽带隙半导体TiO2或绝缘体ZrO2组成的溶胶-凝胶加工薄膜材料中集成和空间排列的Fe（II）配位化合物的金属到配体电荷转移（MLCT）激发后发生的事件。具体来说，他旨在阐明配体场（d-d）激发态在非辐射衰变和光化学配体损失中的作用。与铁（II）化合物在生物学、化学和材料科学中日益增长的应用有关的重要的基本机制问题将被系统地研究。确定能有效地将光转化为能量的材料是一个重要的长期研究目标。这项研究将探索分子水平的过程，这些过程在历史上限制了铁化合物在能量转换应用中的效用。这项研究将有助于我们对发生在半导体和绝缘体界面上的分子事件的基本理解，以便我们可以以可预测的方式控制它们。研究生、本科生和博士后将在无机材料化学项目中获得优秀的培训和研究经验。

Gerald Meyer of Johns Hopkins University is supported by the Division of Chemistry for his research to design molecular materials that convert visible light into potential energy and store that energy for a long period of time. Prof. Meyer will utilize steady-state and time-resolved electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques to characterize events occurring after metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) excitation of Fe(II) coordination compounds integrated and spatially arranged within sol-gel processed thin film materials, comprised of the wide band gap semiconductor TiO2 or the insulator ZrO2. Specifically he aims to elucidate the role ligand field (d-d) excited states play in non-radiative decay and photochemical ligand loss. Important fundamental mechanistic questions relevant to the growing applications of Fe(II) compounds in biology, chemistry, and materials science will be studied systematically. Identifying materials that efficiently convert light into energy is a significant long-term research goal. This research will probe molecular level processes that have historically limited the utility of iron compounds for energy conversion applications. The research will contribute to our fundamental understanding of molecular events occurring at semiconductor and insulator interfaces in order that we might control them in a predictable manner. Graduate students, undergraduate students and postdoctoral associates will receive excellent training and research experiences in a forefront inorganic materials chemistry program.