Michael R. Wasielewski, Professor
Department of Chemistry
Northwestern University

E-mail: wasielew@chem.northwestern.edu
Phone: 847-467-1423

BS, University of Chicago
PhD, University of Chicago

Research Associate, Columbia University
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
R&D 100 Award, 1993 and 1996

Research Areas
The movement of energy and electrons within organic nanostructures is critical to developing systems for artificial photosynthesis as well as molecular electronics and opto-electronics. Understanding the details of electron transport processes in organic nanostructures will provide significant new technologies for both solar energy conversion and for ultrafast, molecule-based electronic devices. The design, synthesis, and demonstration of functional nanostructures requires careful control of molecular structure, electronic coupling, and thermodynamics in a complex array of donors and acceptors.

The principal goal of the Wasielewski group research in this field is to explore the fundamental structural and electronic requirements for ultrafast charge transport and optical gating of electron transfer in extended arrays of donor-acceptor molecules. They are pursuing several approaches that make use of high quantum yield, picosecond and sub-picosecond time scale electron and energy transfer processes to control the movement of electrons within organic nanostructures. Some of these approaches include using laser pulses to 1) photogenerate electric fields that control electron transfer reactions; 2) control the position of charges within a nanostructure; and 3) gate charge transmission in wire-like molecules.

Related Publications
Molecular Wire Behaviour in p-Phenylenevinylene Oligomers, W. B. Davis, W. A. Svec, M. A. Ratner, and M. R. Wasielewski, Nature 396, 60-63 (1998).

Femtosecond Optical Switching of Electron Transport Direction in Branched Donor-Acceptor Arrays, A. S. Lukas, S. E. Miller, and M. R. Wasielewski, J. Phys. Chem. B, 104, 931-940 (2000).

Porphyrin Based Nanostructures: Routes to Molecular Electronics, A. K. Burrell and M. R. Wasielewski, J. Porphyrins Phthalocyanines 4, 401-406 (2000).

Ultrafast Photoswitched Charge Transmission through the Bridge Molecule in a Donor-Bridge-Acceptor System, R. T. Hayes and M. R. Wasielewski, and D. Gosztola, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 122, 5563-5567 (2000).

Picosecond Molecular Switch Based on the Influence of Photogenerated Electric Fields on Optical Charge Transfer Transitions, E. M. Just and M. R. Wasielewski, Superlattices Microstruct., 28, 317-328 (2000).