Unravelling the photochemistry and photophysics of sunscreen filter molecules

本博士论文围绕着利用时间分辨紫外光谱和红外光谱来研究包括防晒滤镜分子在内的新型材料的激发态动力学。这名学生将在新成立的华威超快光谱学中心建造一台光泵、光探测器光谱仪，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。使用紫外线/可见光激发脉冲和白光探头或红外探头，将使学生能够研究防晒滤镜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害。从这些研究中获得的见解可能有助于开发新的防晒膜分子，这种分子对光降解更强大，而且光接触性皮炎等不良副作用更少。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理”和“计算和理论化学”的中心，预期的产出将为“化学生物学和生物化学”、“能量储存”和“太阳能技术”等领域提供信息。这些成果应该有助于物理大挑战理解生命的物理学。

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.