Femtosecond time-resolved photodissociation dynamics of methyl halide molecules on ultrathin gold films

Understanding the Effect of an Amorphous Surface on the Ultrafast Dynamics of a Heterogeneous Photoinduced Reaction: CD3I Photoinduced Reaction on Amorphous Cerium Oxide Films

In this work, to understand how an amorphous surface influences the dynamics of surface photoinduced reactions, pump-probe spectroscopy in conjunction with mass spectrometry is employed to track the ultrafast evolution of intermediates and final products with time, mass, and energy resolution. As a model system, the photoinduced reaction of CD₃I adsorbed on amorphous cerium oxide films is investigated. A fraction of the first intermediates produced on a freshly prepared surface is trapped to passivate the surface. After the A-band excitation, the minimum dissociation time of CD₃I indicates that CD₃I adsorption geometries with either CD₃ or I facing the gas phase exist; however, the transient data suggest that most molecules are adsorbed with the I atom facing the surface. CD₃ and I are consumed to form I₂ and reform CD₃I, which are produced at a steady rate only after the intermediates have lost the excess translational energy released from photodissociation.

Nonmetal-to-Metal Transition of Magnesia Supported Au Clusters Affects the Ultrafast Dissociation Dynamics of Adsorbed CH3Br Molecules

The detection of intermediate species and the correlation of their ultrafast dynamics with the morphology and electronic structure of a surface is crucial to fully understand and control heterogeneous photoinduced and photocatalytic reactions. In this work, the ultrafast photodissociation dynamics of CH₃Br molecules adsorbed on variable-size Au clusters on MgO/Mo(100) is investigated by monitoring the CH₃⁺ transient evolution using a pump-probe technique in conjunction with surface mass spectrometry. Furthermore, extreme-UV photoemission spectroscopy in combination with theoretical calculations is employed to study the electronic structure of the Au clusters on MgO/Mo(100). Changes in the ultrafast dynamics of the CH₃⁺ fragment are correlated with the electronic structure of Au as it evolves from monomers to small nonmetallic clusters to larger nanoparticles with a metallic character. This work provides a new avenue to a detailed understanding of how surface-photoinduced chemical reactions are influenced by the composition and electronic structure of the surface.

Recent Advances in Luminescent Recognition and Chemosensing of Iodide in Water

This Minireview covers the latest developments of chemosensors based on transition-metal receptors and organic fluorophores with specific binding sites for the luminescent detection and recognition of iodide in aqueous media and real samples. In all selected examples within the last decade (made-post 2010), the iodide sensing and recognition is probed by monitoring real-time changes of the fluorescence or phosphorescence properties of the chemosensors. This review highlights effective strategies to iodide sensing from a structural approach where the iodide recognition/sensing process, through supramolecular interactions as coordination bonds, hydrogen bonds, halogen bonds and electrostatic interactions, is transduced into an optical change easily measurable. The selective iodide sensing is an active field of research with global interest due to the importance of iodide in biological, medicinal, industrial, environmental and chemical processes.

Photoionization and photofragmentation in mass spectrometry with visible and UV lasers

Ever since the introduction of laser technology to the field of mass spectrometry, several disciplines evolved providing solutions to challenging scientific and analytical tasks in research and industry. Among these are techniques involving multiphoton ionization such as Resonance-Enhanced Multiphoton Ionization (REMPI, R2PI) and Mass-Analyzed Threshold Ionization (MATI) spectroscopy, a variant of Zero Kinetic Energy (ZEKE) spectroscopy, that possess the ability to selectively ionize certain preselected compounds out of complex mixtures, for example, environmental matrices, with a high level of efficiency. Another key feature of multiphoton ionization techniques is the ability to control the degree of fragmentation, whereas soft ionization is most highly appreciated in most applications. In cases where rich fragmentation patterns are desired for diagnostic purposes, Photodissociation mass spectrometry (PD-MS) is applied successfully. PD-MS allows for the cleavage of selected chemical bonds. With the introduction of chromophoric labels in PD-MS, it became possible to target certain molecules or groups within a molecule. In this review article, an overview of the basic principles and experimental requirements of REMPI and MATI spectroscopy and PD mass spectrometry are given. By means of selected examples, the latest developments and application possibilities in this field over the past decade with special focus on the German research landscape are pointed out. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev 38: 202-217, 2019.

Improving the Stability of Metal Halide Perovskite Materials and Light-Emitting Diodes

Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have numerous advantages as light emitters such as high photoluminescence quantum efficiency with a direct bandgap, very narrow emission linewidth, high charge-carrier mobility, low energetic disorder, solution processability, simple color tuning, and low material cost. Based on these advantages, MHPs have recently shown unprecedented radical progress (maximum current efficiency from 0.3 to 42.9 cd A^-1 ) in the field of light-emitting diodes. However, perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) suffer from intrinsic instability of MHP materials and instability arising from the operation of the PeLEDs. Recently, many researchers have devoted efforts to overcome these instabilities. Here, the origins of the instability in PeLEDs are reviewed by categorizing it into two types: instability of (i) the MHP materials and (ii) the constituent layers and interfaces in PeLED devices. Then, the strategies to improve the stability of MHP materials and PeLEDs are critically reviewed, such as A-site cation engineering, Ruddlesden-Popper phase, suppression of ion migration with additives and blocking layers, fabrication of uniform bulk polycrystalline MHP layers, and fabrication of stable MHP nanoparticles. Based on this review of recent advances, future research directions and an outlook of PeLEDs for display applications are suggested.