Descartes Prize
The SynNanoMotor consortium was awarded one of the three Descartes Prizes for Excellence in Science of the European Commission on March 12, 2008. Prof. Wybren Jan Buma was present at the ceremony to receive the prize on behalf of our HIMS Molecular Photonics team. More information on this important recognition of our work can be found here
About the Molecular Photonics Group
The Molecular Photonics research team of the Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) of the University of Amsterdam aims to develop novel, intelligent photoresponsive materials by understanding and manipulating the interaction between light and materials at the molecular level. The group combines extensive expertise regarding research on photoinduced electron transfer in multifunctional organic molecules, electron and energy transfer in metal-organic systems, photochemistry and photophysics of metal-organic systems, spectroelectrochemistry, development of (electrochemi)luminescent markers and probes, controlled sub-molecular motion, and industrial applications of photonic molecules. Over the years the group has developed and applied a wide variety of advanced spectroscopic methods in the frequency and time domain, investigating molecular systems in various environments and conditions, from gas phase to solid state, and from bulk measurements to the single molecule level.
An important way of investigating molecules is by looking at their interaction with light. We adress questions such as: what energies are necessary to excite a molecule, what is effect of the absorption of energy on the structure and properties of the molecule, what does the molecule do with the absorbed energy, and in particular: can we use the interaction with light to design new molecules with pre-programmed properties, and can we understand how and why nature uses very specific light-active molecules?
Highlight
Brouwer, A. M.; Frochot, C.; Gatti, F.; Leigh, D. A.; Mottier, L. et al.
"Photoinduction of Fast, Reversible Translational Motion in a Hydrogen-Bonded Molecular Shuttle".
Science 2001 , 291 , 2124-2128