Photophysics and photochemistry of potentially useful materials

光引发的化学和物理过程是地球生命的核心。早期对自然光驱动过程的研究，如光合作用和视觉，不可避免地让好奇的人们对这些现象提出了最基本的问题。“什么是光的本质？”“光是如何与物质相互作用的？“这些答案为新技术、健康改善和财富创造提供了基础，超出了第一批提问者最疯狂的想象：激光技术、光纤通信、光学数据存储、捕获和存储太阳能的人工方法、废水处理的光化学方法、某些类型癌症和黄斑变性的光动力疗法。目前，整个工业都是基于激光的产生及其在光子器件、微加工和许多其他应用中的应用。更多的是在地平线上。光驱动的分子逻辑器件、光量子计算、光化学和光物理过程的相干控制、更有效的光伏器件、更清晰的生物医学成像和许多其他应用正在积极研究之中。在我们的研究小组中，我们继续解决有关物质吸收光的化学和物理效应的基本问题，我们获得的信息继续在这些和其他重要领域中找到应用。我们的具体目标是研究处于高激发态的分子的结构和动力学行为。我们30年前所做的基础研究现在发现了在设计和制造光捕获聚合物方面的应用，并展示了我们感兴趣的分子如何被纳入光驱动的分子电子器件中，作为开关和逻辑门。在过去的6年里，我们利用我们在激发态电子物理学方面的工作来证明一种提高染料敏化太阳能光伏电池效率的新方法的原理。在我们的实验室接受培训的年轻科学家现在可能在世界各地的大学、政府实验室和工业中担任研究和开发、技术、教学和行政职务。

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.