Photon Technology International Prize Grant Aids Research into Artificial Photosynthesis

Photon Technology International (PTI), now HORIBA Scientific, is proud to announce that Dr. Theresa McCormick from Portland State University, was the winner of its Spring 2014 Equipment Grant Competition. Dr. McCormick will receive $10,000 to use towards the purchase of PTI product(s).

Dr. McCormick's research is focused on developing photoreductive elimination catalysts for solar energy conversion and organic transformation. She is synthesizing photoactive ligands that will bind to catalytic metals. Upon excitation electron transfer to the metal will promote reductive elimination and turnover the catalyst. Theresa will use the PTI QuantaMaster™ 300 to measure both steady state fluorescence and fluorescence lifetime of the ligands. Excited state lifetimes after ligand chelation to the metal will be used to monitor electron transfer events. Phosphorescent excited state lifetimes of the complexes will be measured under catalytic and non-catalytic conditions. She expects to see a decreased lifetime under catalytic conditions.

Dr. McCormick is very excited to have won the Spring 2014 Equipment Grant Competition. “As a young professor, this grant has allowed me to obtain several accessories that otherwise would have not been possible. I am most excited about the integrating sphere that will let me determine absolute emission quantum yields of our materials.”

She goes on to say that, “the ability to measure excited state lifetimes with the PTI QuantaMaster™ 300 over many wavelengths and timescales will be invaluable to my research. This work will increase the understanding of photocatalytic systems, while providing a road map to develop novel approaches to solar energy conversion.”

In her contest submission, Dr. McCormick explained how her research and findings will impact scientific advancements in her field.

“Solar energy conversion in the form of water splitting could provide a clean source of hydrogen as a carbon neutral fuel. Currently the rate of hydrogen production is limited by bimolecular electron transfer reactions in the catalytic cycle. My research aims to eliminate one of these steps by creating photoactive catalysts. Fluorescence and phosphorescence measurements are critical to understand the electron transfer pathways in the catalytic systems. We will be designing systems that will have an excited state electron transfer from an electron rich part of the catalytic complex to a more electron poor region to promote reductive elimination. My research will impact the field of artificial photosynthesis by increasing hydrogen production rates through a novel catalyst architecture. Photocatalysts will also be designed to provide a green approach to selective organic transformation, particularly the dehydrogenation of alkanes to increased value products.”

Everyone at PTI would like to congratulate Dr. McCormick, and wishes her luck in her research.