See
Ru(II)(bipy)3 chemiluminescence in the presence of varying amounts of oxalic acid. This combined image was created using an android mobile phone and Pixelmator.
See: Light for analysis and communication
We primarily seek alternate ways to create luminescent signals. This can be through a chemical reaction, an electrochemical reaction or by taking advantage of persistently luminescent particles.
By removing the need for an excitation source (in the form of light) we can create biological and environmental assays, that can simply just communicate information.
Creating a ‘glow’ using simple methodologies is what drives our research. We hope to leverage the emission from chemiluminescent sensitizers so that we can create systems that emit in the Near Infra Red (NIR) region of the spectrum.
This low energy light can travel through tissue and the signals can be separated from other emissive species based on lifetime and emission wavelength.
An example of electroluminescence using Ru(Bipy)3 and a simple electrode: pencil lead.
A crystallographically determined structure of Tc2Cl82-. A quadruple bond between the two Tc atoms (yellow) is incredibly short and photo-sensitive.
Visualizing molecules
We use a variety of analytical techniques in our lab so that we can accurately assess our systems. These include Luminescence spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-Ray Crystallography and Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS).
Students get hands-on training with these techniques and have ample opportunities to conduct research at other institutions and National Laboratories.
If you are interested in joining our lab please don’t hesitate to contact us!
