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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Dr. Valeria Kleiman, University of Florida
Light Harvesting with Dendrimers and Polymers
The search for artificial light-harvesters has lead to the intense study of conjugated dendritic molecules and polymers. The ability to synthesize large macromolecules with defined architectures allows a comprehensive investigation of electronic coupling, exciton formation, and energy transfer. In this work we discuss the nature of electronic excitations and the mechanisms directing the excitation energy to a trap. We will present ultrafast time-resolved experiments in dendritic phenylene ethynylene molecules and poly phenylene ethynelene polyelectrolytes. The dendritic molecules experiments reveal the presence of two localized states in the dendrimer backbone. From both states, the excitation energy is transferred to the energy trap in less than 2 ps, making this molecule one of the fastest light harvesters. To understand the conjugated polyelectrolytes we will present a model involving exciton migration through the polymer chain.
For more information contact Dr. Jean-Luc Brédas (404-385-4985).