Time and Location: 2:00 PM, 14th March, Chemistry LT3

Speaker: Dr. Marcus A. Johns, Department of Wood Science, University of British Columbia

Title: Autofluorescence spectroscopy for heteroatomic materials characterization & development 

Abstract:

Cluster-triggered emission is an autoluminescence phenomenon that occurs in non-aromatic compounds, such as polysaccharides and amino acids, when they aggregate, or cluster, together. The mechanism behind this involves heteroatoms with free electron pairs, such as oxygen or nitrogen, involved in inter- and intra-molecular dipole-dipole interactions, n,π* interactions, or through space interactions with one another. As such, spectroscopy based on the technique may be used to directly characterize the molecular interactions that form the supramolecular structure of materials with suitable chemical groups. In this seminar, current applications of the technique based on empirical observations will be discussed. This will include determining key physicochemical properties of cellulose nanocrystals and the identification of common textile microplastics in conjunction with assisted machine learning. Furthermore, the mechanisms behind the phenomenon will be considered, covering ongoing research into the potential importance of secondary chemical structures. Finally, a broad vision regarding potential future analytical applications will be presented.