Research & Publications

Plasmonic photochemistry

Metallic nanoparticles act as nanoscale antennas that amplify and concentrate light in their vicinity. Our research group specializes in harnessing these unique optical properties to enhance and control photochemical processes. To achieve this, we engineer innovative metallic nanoparticle hybrid systems and investigate how their structure, composition, and plasmonic behavior influence light-driven reactivity. We then apply these nanomaterials toward photochemical and antimicrobial applications.

Singlet Oxygen

Singlet oxygen is an excited state of molecular oxygen generated through photosensitization. Due to its short lifetime and highly reactive nature, singlet oxygen acts locally at the site of production, making it an effective tool for targeted antimicrobial applications against pathogens ranging from viruses to bacteria. Our group is interested in harnessing singlet oxygen to address antimicrobial resistance through the development and optimization of new photosensitizers, as well as strategies to enhance singlet oxygen generation and efficacy.

Excited-state modulation

Our research group is interested in understanding and controlling excited-state pathways through unconventional approaches to triplet-state access. Using polymer-based systems, we investigate how polymer composition, thickness, and the incorporation of plasticizers or antiplasticizers influence excited-state behavior and relaxation processes. By establishing fundamental structure–property relationships, our goal is to develop design principles that enable the rational tuning of excited-state dynamics, reducing reliance on trial-and-error approaches in photochemical material design.

publications

[54] Beyond Plasmonic Expectations: Micellar confinement governs the Norrish type I reaction in hybrid micelle-gold nanoparticle systems.

Mariño-Ocampo, N., Rawof, Y., Malvar, J. V., Kieu, J., & Heyne, B. (2026). Beyond Plasmonic expectations: Micellar confinement governs the Norrish type I reaction in hybrid micelle-gold nanoparticle systems. Photochemistry and Photobiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/php.70107 Spin-dependent photochemical mechanisms are central to understanding how external stimuli, such as light, temperature, and magnetic fields, modulate chemical reactivity. In this study, the photolysis of th

[53] Measuring molecular singlet oxygen (1O2*) from atmospheric photosensitizers: Intercomparison of techniques, irradiation setups, data analysis and protocol recommendations.

Gemmell, K. J., Heinlein, L. M. D., Petersen-Sonn, E. A., Sardena, C., Guo, Z., Mariño-Ocampo, N., Heyne, B., George, C., Anastasio, C., and Borduas-Dedekind, N.: Measuring molecular singlet oxygen (1O2*) from atmospheric photosensitizers: Intercomparison of techniques, irradiation setups, data analysis and protocol recommendations, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6292, 2026. Molecular singlet oxygen (1O2*) is the first excited state of molecular

[52] Bioconjugates of Toluidine Blue Derivatives with Human Serum Albumin and Their Complexes with Cucurbit[7]uril as Drug Delivery Vehicles for Photodynamic Therapy

Nory Mariño-Ocampo; José Robinson-Duggon; Daniel Zúñiga-Núñez; Daniel Guerra Díaz; Belinda Heyne; Denis Fuentealba. (2025) Bioconjugates of Toluidine Blue Derivatives with Human Serum Albumin and Their Complexes with Cucurbit[7]uril as Drug Delivery Vehicles for Photodynamic Therapy, ACS Omega, 10(44), 52333–52342. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising cancer treatment. The present work used two toluidine blue O (TBO) derivatives covalently conjugated to human serum album

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