Can Molecules Learn to Harvest Light? From Self-Assembly to a Synthetic Antenna by Prof Maxim Pchenitchnikov
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Join us at the IAS@NTU STEM Graduate Colloquium by Prof Maxim Pchenitchnikov from the University of Groningen, co-organised with the Graduate Students Clubs of the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), and the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS).
"Can Molecules Learn to Harvest Light? From Self-Assembly to a Synthetic Antenna"
Can molecules learn to harvest light? The broader question is simple: how can many small molecules, with no central control, build a structure capable of collecting and guiding light? When simple dye molecules are mixed in water, they can organize themselves into long, hollow nanotubes that begin to behave like miniature light-harvesting antennas. In this talk, I will discuss how such order appears from molecular disorder, and why the path toward the final structure matters as much as the final structure itself.
We address this question using a combination of microfluidics, two-dimensional spectroscopy, and cryo-TEM. Microfluidics allows us to follow the self-assembly process in real time, while spectroscopy tracks the changing optical properties and cryo-TEM shows how the shape and size of the nanotubes develop. Together, these measurements provide a simplified experimental system for studying how artificial molecular assemblies acquire light-harvesting-like properties as they form.
About the speaker:
Maxim S. Pshenichnikov obtained his PhD from Moscow State University in 1987. In 1992, he moved to the Netherlands to take up a postdoctoral position funded by the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM). In 1996, he obtained a permanent position at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Groningen and later moved to the Faculty of Physics, where he became a full professor and currently leads the Optical Condensed Matter Physics group. From 2016 to 2018, he was a visiting professor at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), hosted by Prof. Sum Tze Chien.His research spans several areas of physical chemistry and optics, including the development of femtosecond spectroscopy, ultrafast exciton dynamics, organic photovoltaics, artificial light-harvesting systems, and molecular machines. Alongside his research, he has maintained a strong commitment to teaching and has been elected “Teacher of the Year” several times for his ability to communicate the subject with clarity and enthusiasm.