Frankfurt 2006 – scientific programme

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MO: Molekülphysik

MO 27: Poster: Femtosecond Spectroscopy

MO 27.9: Poster

Tuesday, March 14, 2006, 16:30–18:30, Labsaal

Ultrafast Energy Transfer Between Pigment Molecules Embedded in Mesoporous Cages — •S. Tork, R.M. Richards, and A. Materny — International University Bremen, Bremen

Chlorophylls, along with Carotenoids are crucial pigment molecules involved in light-harvesting processes in photosynthetic organisms. Mimicking the highly efficient energy transfer (ET) systems is a subject of intense investigation to attain the ultimate goal of highly efficient solar energy conversion systems. Considerable efforts have been directed towards the preparation of donor-acceptor (D-A) systems immobilized in various media (e.g. films, surfactant micelles, and lipid vesicles). Mesoporous silicas are attractive because of their high surface area, uniform mesopores, and high adsorption capacities. We have synthesized and characterized various mesoporous materials such as MCM (mobile crystalline material) and FSM (folded-sheet mesoporous material) having honeycomb (hexagonal) structures with ordered cylindrical channels of 2–10 nm in diameter. They are potential hosts for the inclusion of bulky organometallic and inorganic complexes and offer nano-scale spaces for the desired arrangement of functional molecules such as chlorophyll. In this contribution, we will present our results on synthesis of mesoporous-chlorophyl-carotenoid compounds and the investigation of the energy transfer process from carotenoids to chlorophylls using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy in order to get insight into the energy transfer mechanism.