Centre for Time-Resolved Spectroscopy
CENTRE FOR TIME-RESOLVED SPECTROSCOPY
Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE.
Tel: 0191 374 4623 Fax: 0191 384 4737
PURPOSE
An early triumph of time-resolved spectroscopy was the demonstration (by cine photography) that all four legs of a horse leave the ground when it gallops. Modern techniques using ultrafast lasers enable processes a thousand million times faster than this to be measured. This enables remarkable experiments to be performed on timescales of fundamental importance to physics, chemistry and biology. Time-resolved spectroscopy techniques are a powerful means of studying materials, giving information about the nature of the excitations, energy transfer, molecular motion, and molecular environment, infromation that is not available from steady-state measurements. It is a rapidly advancing field with applications in many areas of science and technology. The purpose of the Centre is to promote interdisciplinary research using time-resolved spectroscopy. Current activities include studies of the photophysics of semiconducting polymers, light emitting materials for use in OLEDs, the photochemistry of sunscreens, and time-resolved luminescence for dating purposes in archaeology.
CURRENT FACILITIES
- NEW Jobin-Yvon Spex Fluorolog FL3-22 Tau-3 Spectrofluorimeter which can also record lifetimes uinsg phase-modulation methodolgy
- Time-correlated single photon counting spectrometer for fluorescence lifetime determination and ns-time-resolved spectroscopy
- State of the art spectrofluorimeters, capable of operation from 200 – 1900nm, studying solution and solid samples, 10K- 350K.
- Nanosecond/microsecond transient absorption (flash-photolysis) and luminescence measurements
- Singlet oxygen measurements: quantum yields of formation and kinetics
- Optical parametric oscillator giving widely tuneable nanosecond light pulses – 400-1900nm.
- Non-linear optical measurements
- Nanosecond transient electroluminescence and photoconductivity measurements
- Millisecond studies of reaction kinetics by Stopped-Flow
ASSOCIATED STAFF
Dr Andy Beeby [Co-ordinator]
Dr Mike Crampton
Dr Andy P. Monkman [Co-ordinator]
Prof David Bloor
Dr Doug P. Halliday
Dr Graham H. Cross