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

[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

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