Keywords

Physical chemistry; spectroscopy; fluorescence spectroscopy; nonlinear spectroscopy; two photon absorption; dft calculations; lanthanide complexes

Abstract

Despite not being a tangible substance, light is becoming an increasingly valuable tool in numerous areas of science and technology: the use of laser excitation of a fluorescent probe can generate incredibly detailed images of cellular structures without the need for large amounts of dissection; new types of solar cells are being produced using organic dyes to harvest light; computer data can be stored by inducing a chemical change in a compound through irradiation with light. However, before any of these materials can be applied in such a way, their properties must first be analyzed for them to be deemed viable. The focus of this dissertation is the photophysical characterization, linear and nonlinear, of a several novel organic compounds, and a europium complex, as well as using quantum chemical calculation techniques to understand some of the phenomena that are witnessed and begin to develop predictive capability. The nonlinear characterization of compounds utilizes wavelengths outside of their linear absorption range, where a focused beam can achieve the same excitation as one at half the wavelength, though this effect has a quadratic dependence on power. The potential for nonlinear excitation, or two-photon absorption (2PA), is becoming of increasing interest and importance for organic chromophores. Exciting only a small volume of material at a focal point makes it possible to nondestructively image samples in 3-dimensions, record data in multiple layers, and fabricate intricate structures through photopolymerization reactions. Lanthanides such as europium are known to exhibit sharp emission bands when excited, typically through an antenna effect due to the low probability of achieving direct excitation. This emission is long-lived, and through gating systems can readily be separated from background noise and autofluorescence (often observed in biological samples) that have much shorter lifetimes. Thus, one of the foci of this dissertation is the photophysical investigation of a series of novel lanthanide complexes, with particular attention to a europium complex.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2014

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Belfield, Kevin

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Chemistry

Degree Program

Chemistry

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0005908

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0005908

Language

English

Release Date

June 2016

Length of Campus-only Access

1 year

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences; Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic

Included in

Chemistry Commons

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