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Neon Spheres

SOLVING A GRAND CHALLENGE TO DEVELOP DESIGN RULES FOR THE

Long-range transport of excitons

MOLECULAR PHOTONIC BREADBOARDS

Research project sponsored by The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

The absorption of light by molecules leads to the formation of molecular excited states, consisting of electron-hole pairs, called excitons. Control of excitons is essential for many new and emerging technologies identified in the Government’s Industrial Strategy as being vital to the economic success of the UK, including solar energy capture, photocatalysis, quantum technologies, and the design of diagnostic devices for personalised medicine.

The goal of our five year, £7.25M programme is to explore an entirely new approach to the design of molecular photonic materials that could extend excitation transfer distances from nm to cm.

 

Our programme of research is kindly supported by The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

An unsolved grand challenge has been to develop design rules for the long-range transport of excitons. 

Our goal is to solve this grand challenge.
In a molecular photonic breadboard, synthetic biological antenna complexes (like the tetrahelical proteins shown here) organise pigments in nanoscale regions of space, thus controlling excitonic coupling. Incorporation of a plasmon mode with an associated field (E) enables polaritonic control of energy transfer, and manipulation of ultra-fast non-local couplings (red arrow). Large numbers of such plexcitonic complexes can be assembled to form macroscopically extended films.

Image description: In a molecular photonic breadboard, synthetic biological antenna complexes (like the tetrahelical proteins shown here) organise pigments in nanoscale regions of space, thus controlling excitonic coupling. Incorporation of a plasmon mode with an associated field (E) enables polaritonic control of energy transfer, and manipulation of ultra-fast non-local couplings (red arrow). Large numbers of such plexcitonic complexes can be assembled to form macroscopically extended films.

Meet the team

To achieve this ambitious project, we have brought together a cross-disciplinary team with expertise that spans synthetic biology, photosynthesis, synthetic chemistry, nanotechnology, polymer science, plasmonics, molecular physics and theory. 

Job vacancies

Do you enjoy exciting, cross-disciplinary and cutting-edge research? Come and join our team:

 

Research Associate in Tracking energy transfer in (bio)molecular photonic breadboards in the strong coupling regime

Contact us

Contact us

To solve our grand challenge, we have brought together a multidisciplinary team of experts from across the following three UK research institutions, and lead by The University of Sheffield.

University of Bristol

School of Chemistry
Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS

United Kingdom

University of Exeter

Department of Physics and Astronomy

Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL

United Kingdom

University of Sheffield

Department of Chemistry
Dainton Building, Brook Hill, Sheffield S3 7HF

United Kingdom

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