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

[51] Type I and Type II photosensitization of DNA etheno adducts.

Lizondo-Aranda, P*; Rodríguez-Muñiz, G.M.; Miranda, M.A; Heyne, B; Lhiaubet-Valleta, V. (2025). Type I and Type II photosensitization of DNA etheno adducts. Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences. 24(1): 1-12. Photophysical and photochemical studies were carried out to examine the photoreactivity of etheno adducts, 1,N6-ethenoadenine (εdA) and 1,N2-ethenoguanine (εdG), in the presence of two well-known photosensitizers acting by Type I and/or Type II mechanisms such as 4-ca

[50] aPDI meets PPE: photochemical decontamination in healthcare using methylene blue—where are we now, where will we go?

Ludwig-Begall, L.F; Heyne, B (invited perspective). (2024). aPDI meets PPE: photochemical decontamination in healthcare using methylene blue—where are we now, where will we go?. Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences. 23(2): 215-223. Personal protective equipment (PPE) reuse, first recommended in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, can mitigate shortages in crisis situations and can greatly reduce the environmental impact of typically single-use PPE. Prior to safe reuse

[49] Supramolecular complex of tetracationic porphyrin with acyclic cucurbituril-like container induces quantitative singlet oxygen generation. Phototoxicity studies in vitro in MCF-7 human breast...

Day, S; Pérez, B; Guerra Díaz, D; Mariño-Ocampo, N*; Zúñiga-Núñez, D; Faúndez, M.A; Soto-Arriaza, M; Pizarro, N; Heyne, B; Fuentealba, D. (2024). Supramolecular complex of tetracationic porphyrin with acyclic cucurbituril-like container induces quantitative singlet oxygen generation. Phototoxicity studies in vitro in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry. 449: 115388. Singlet oxygen generation by porphyrin-based photosensitiz

[48] Hydroaminoalkylation for Amine Functionalization of Vinyl-Terminated Polyethylene Enables Direct Access to Responsive Functional Materials.

Ataie, S; Malmir, A; Scott, SS; Goettel, JT; Clemens, S; Morrison, DJ; Mackie*,C; Heyne, B; Hatzikiriakos, SG; Schafer, LL. (2024). Hydroaminoalkylation for Amine Functionalization of Vinyl-Terminated Polyethylene Enables Direct Access to Responsive Functional Materials. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 63(49). While functionalized polyethylenes (PEs) exhibit valuable characteristics, the constraints of existing synthetic approaches limit the variety of readily incorp

[47] Extraordinary Control of Photosensitized Singlet Oxygen Generation by Acyclic Cucurbituril-like Containers.

Guerra Díaz, D; Mariño-Ocampo, N*; Kabanov, V*; Heyne, B; Andrade-Villalobos, F; Fierro, A; Fuentealba, D. (2023). Extraordinary Control of Photosensitized Singlet Oxygen Generation by Acyclic Cucurbituril-like Containers. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B. 127(15): 3443-3451. Supramolecular control of singlet oxygen generation is incredibly valuable for several fields with broad applications and thus still challenging. However, macrocyclic inclusion complexes inherently re

[46] On the Molecular Origin of the Red Emission in the Newly Synthesized Carbon-based Quantum Dots.

Bourgone, C*; Heyne, B; Anokovskiy, M. (2022). On the Molecular Origin of the Red Emission in the Newly Synthesized Carbon-based Quantum Dots. ChemPhotoChem.7(2): e202200166. Carbon‐based quantum dots (QDs) represent a new family of luminescent nanomaterials with intriguing emission properties. They are synthesized predominately with the emission in the blue and green region of the visible spectrum, with limited success in producing red emission. Furthermore, the current lite

[45] Of masks and methylene blue—The use of methylene blue photochemical treatment to decontaminate surgical masks contaminated with a tenacious small nonenveloped norovirus.

Wielick, C; Fries, A; Dams, L; Razafimahefa, RA; Heyne, B; Harcourt, BH; Lendvay, TS; Willaert, JF; de Jaeger, S; Haubruge, E; Thiry, E; Ludwig-Begall, LF. (2022). Of masks and methylene blue—The use of methylene blue photochemical treatment to decontaminate surgical masks contaminated with a tenacious small nonenveloped norovirus. American Journal of Infection Control. 50(8): 871-877. Background: In the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, reuse of personal protective equipme