Research
Ultrafast photoswitching reactions
Our group seeks to understand, with the goal to control, ultrafast photoswitching reactions of molecular, nano- and solid-state systems. Using a suite of complementary time-resolved techniques allows us to track transient states which influence the functionality of the switches.
Photodynamics of transition metal complexes
Our work group studies the electronic excited state dynamics of transition metal coordination complexes with relevance for solar energy or photocatalytic applications. We use soft and hard ultrafast X-ray spectroscopy and complementary femtosecond laser-based optical spectroscopy methods together with simple synthesis and simulation approaches to elucidate which molecular properties influence the excited states of the photoinduced reactions, with the goal to control these processes.
Guest-Host Interactions
(collaboration with Prof. C. Bressler)
Most chemical reactions in nature and in industry occur in liquid environments. We seek to understand the influence of the solvent environment on the dynamics of reacting solutes. For this we employ a suite of contemporary x-ray tools in the femtosecond time domain, which allow us to study both the structural dynamics of the solvent and the molecule/atom.
