Peter M. RentzepisPresidential Chair and Professor, Chemistry Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science |
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Research Interests |
Physical Chemistry | |
| URL | www.chem.uci.edu/people/faculty/pmrentze/ | |
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Academic Distinctions |
Member of the National Academy of Sciences Member of the Athenian Academy, Greece Tolman Medal, American Chemical Society American Chemical Society Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry Irving Langmuir Prize in Chemical Physics The Cressy-Morrison Science Award in Natural Sciences |
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Research Abstract |
Picosecond time-resolved x-ray diffraction and EXFAS experiments allow our group to determine the structures of ultrashortlived intermediates in chemical and biological reactions in liquids, while subpicosecond kinetics experiments allow us to probe non-linear phenomena of molecules used for 3D optical storage and electronic switching. We design, synthesize and measure the optical chemical and spectroscopic properties of photochromic molecules that have potential applications in computer storage and optical switching. Energy transfer and excited state decay is probed from cw to subpicosecond time range and the reaction mechanism is deduced based on this data. Non-linear phenomena, including two-photon absorption, reverse saturable absorption, and other non-linear parameters are measured by means of a 2D Z scan and subpicosecond spectroscopy. We have designed and built an experimental system which generates high energy, 150 mJ, 100x10-15 second laser pulses in the 180 nm to 1500 nm spectral range and 5 Kev to 20 Kev, 5x10-12 second intense, x-rays pulses. The laser pulses are used to initiate chemical and biological reactions and generate the x-rays. The structures of the original molecules, their products and intermediates formed in the course of the chemical or biological reaction in solution, are measured by the x-ray pulses. Bond distances have been measured with an accuracy of 0.02A in chemical reactions and biological molecules in solution using ultrafast time-resolved EXAFS and crystal lattice dislocations employing picosecond x-ray diffraction. |
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| Publications |
"Structures of Bromoalkanes Photodissociation in solution by Means of Ultrafast EXAFS Spectroscopy," D.A. Oulianov, V. Tomov, A.S. Dvornikov, P.M. Rentzepis, PNAS, USA. 99, No. 20, 2002, 12556-1261. |
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| "Near Infrared Sensitive Photochromic Fluorescing Molecules." Yongchao Liang, A. S. Dvornikov, P. M. Rentzepis, J. Mater. Chem. 13286-290, 2003. | ||
| "Dynamical Principles in Biological Processes: A Model of Charge Migration in Proteins and DNA," E. W. Schlag, D.-Y. Yang, S.-Y. Sheu, H. L. Selzle, S. H. Lin, and P. M. Rentzepis. PNAS 2000, 97, 9849. | ||
| "Nonlinear 3D Optical Storage and Comments on Two-Photon Cross Section Measurements." Oulianov DA, Dvornikov AS, Rentzepis PM Proc. SPIE, 2001, 4462. | ||
| "Optical Limiting and Picosecond Relaxation of Carbocyanines Upper Electronic States." Oulianov DA, Dvornikov AS, Rentzepis PM Opt. Commun. 2002, 205, 427. | ||
| "Photochemistry of Photochromic 2-Indolylfulgides with Substituents at the 1-Position of the Indolylmethylene Moiety." Liang Y, Dvornikov AS, Rentzepis PM J. Photochem. Photobiol., A 2001, 46, 83. | ||
| Link to this profile | http://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=2186 | |
| Last updated | 04/10/2003 | |
