Combined fluorescence, IR and surface spectroscopic charac­teri­za­tion of electronically excited states of metal containing substances

In the last years, extensive investigations on structure and dynamics of photoreactive substances like flavonoids have been performed in the Gerhards group (Physical Chemistry) by applying molecular beam experiments. In cooperation with organic and inorganic chemists (Profs. Hartung, Krüger, Thiel) the gas phase investigations will now be extended to the photochemistry of metal containing complexes. The newly designed complexes are of interest with respect to special magnetic or catalytical properties. In the project announced here, these investigations will be extended to the condensed phase (in solution and deposited on surfaces). The data obtained from isomer-selective gas phase investigations are an ideal starting point to describe the transition from an isolated molecule via a microsolvated system to solution. The chosen metal containing complexes are investigated by high sensitive fluorescence spectroscopy including life-time measurements of electronically excited states obtained by modulation of the excitation light. The analyses are supplemented by FTIR spectroscopy. Fluorescence and FTIR spectroscopy will be combined with laser excitation (pump/probe techniques). In this announced project the dynamics of the complexes synthesized by the chemists are analyzed on surfaces in the Aeschlimann group by time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (TR-PES) and time-resolved photoemission-electron-microscopy (TR-PEEM). This strongly interdisciplinary proposal between physics and physical (organic and inorganic) chemistry should lead to a better understanding of the transition between gas phase and condensed phase with respect to metal containing complexes.

Principal Investigators:

Prof. Dr. Martin Aeschlimann (Department of Physics, TU Kaiserslautern)

Prof. Dr. Markus Gerhards (Department of Chemistry, TU Kaiserslautern)