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Grieco, Christopher

Publications and source records attributed to Grieco, Christopher.

Short pulsewidth high repetition rate nanosecond transient absorption spectrometer

A high-sensitivity nanosecond to millisecond transient absorption spectrometer for measurements of miniscule signals under low excitation intensities includes an excitation source generating a >100 Hz, <5 ns pulsewidth excitation pulse for exciting a light absorbing sample, a probe light source for generating a high photon flux probe light beam producing an average irradiance greater than 1 μW m-2 nm-1 for measuring the transient absorption spectrum of the sample before and after excitation by the excitation source, a DC-coupled detector capable of measuring light for enabling synchronous measurement of both the transmission of the probe light beam and the change in transmission of the probe light beam between a signal with the excitation pulse present and a signal in the absence of the excitation pulse, and a digital oscilloscope with a trigger rearm time capable of collecting every trigger event at frequencies including 1MHz, for enabling sequential noise subtraction protocols.

Rimshaw, Adam↗

Exciton-Phonon Coupling and Carrier Relaxation in PbS Quantum Dots: The Case of Carboxylate Ligands

Some ligand-nanocrystal combinations exhibit rapid cooling of highly excited electronic states while other nanocrystal/shell combinations do not appear to have this effect. There remains a need to identify the distinguishing properties of ligand-nanocrystal interactions that avoid such rapid relaxation processes to guide the design of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) that take advantage of multiple exciton generation or hot-carrier extraction processes. Here, we use mid-infrared transient absorption spectroscopy to investigate the influence that carboxylate ligands with distinct excited state surface chemistries has on exciton-phonon coupling and hot exciton relaxation in PbS quantum dot (QD) films. Our findings reveal that despite significant differences in the excited state surface chemistry of oleate (OA) and iodide/mercaptopropionic acid (I-/MPA) ligands, PbS QD films passivated with both ligand types exhibit identical electronic relaxation rates and exciton-phonon coupling strengths within experimental precision. The data suggest that the inorganic lattice is the principal source of exciton-phonon coupling that influences hot exciton relaxation, rather than the vibronic modes of carboxylate ligands. The size-dependent nature of the exciton-phonon coupling strength is consistent with the localization of charge on the QD surfaces, which enhances the mixing of electronic and nuclear coordinates particularly when the electronic states are more quantum confined in smaller nanocrystals.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Influence of Ligand Structure on Excited State Surface Chemistry of Lead Sulfide Quantum Dots

The ligand-nanocrystal boundaries of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) mediate the primary energy and electron transfer processes that underpin photochemical and photocatalytic transformations at their surfaces. We use mid-infrared transient absorption spectroscopy to reveal the influence that ligand structure and bonding to nanocrystal surfaces have on the changes of the excited state surface chemistry of this boundary in PbS QDs and the corresponding impact on charge transfer processes between nanocrystals. We demonstrate that oleate ligands undergo marked changes in their bonding to surfaces in the excitonic excited states of the nanocrystals, indicating that oleate passivated PbS surfaces undergo significant structural changes following photoexcitation. These changes can impact the surface mobility of the ligands and the ability of redox shuttles to approach the nanocrystal surfaces to undergo charge transfer in photocatalytic reactions. In contrast, markedly different transient vibrational features are observed in iodide/mercaptoproprionic acid passivated PbS QD films that result from charge transfer between neighboring nanocrystals and localization of holes at the nanocrystal surfaces near MPA ligands. This ability to distinguish the influence that excitonic excited states vs charge transfer processes have on the surface chemistry of the ligand-nanocrystal boundary lays the groundwork for exploration of how this boundary can be understood and controlled for the design of nanocrystalline materials tailored for specific applications in solar energy harvesting and photocatalytic reactions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Ultrafast Triplet Pair Separation and Triplet Trapping following Singlet Fission in Amorphous Pentacene Films

In this work, ultrafast infrared and electronic spectroscopy are used to examine the dynamics of triplet pair separation following singlet fission in amorphous and crystalline films of the model singlet fission chromophore, 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene (TIPS-Pn). Direct probing of correlated triplet pair intermediates through their unique vibrational frequencies, infrared electronic transitions, and indirectly through their visible triplet absorptions reveals that triplet pair separation occurs on similar picosecond timescales in both amorphous and crystalline films despite their markedly different average intermolecular coupling strengths. Although triplet pair separation occurs on similar timescales in both environments, measurements of diffusion-controlled triplet-triplet annihilation reveal that the diffusivity of triplet excited states is an order of magnitude lower in amorphous films. The data reveal the presence of sparse triplet traps in the amorphous environment that inhibit the transport of triplet excitons in comparison to crystalline films. These observations inform recent efforts to develop disordered and polymeric singlet fission sensitizers that contain amorphous regions. In particular, the data suggest that it may be possible to nanostructure amorphous or polymeric singlet fission sensitizers to allow ultrafast triplet pair separation and harvesting in photovoltaic and light emitting applications despite their low triplet exciton diffusivity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗