Controlling charge separation and recombination by chemical design in donor-acceptor dyads.

Conjugated donor-acceptor block co-oligomers that self-organize into D-A mesomorphic arrays have raised increasing interest due to their potential applications in organic solar cells. We report here a combined experimental and computational study of charge transfer (CT) state formation and recombination in isolated donor-spacer-acceptor oligomers based on bisthiophene-fluorene (D) and perylene diimide (A), which have recently shown to self-organize to give a mesomorphic lamellar structure at room temperature. Using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory in combination with the Marcus-Jortner formalism, the observed increase of the CT lifetimes is rationalized in terms of a reduced electronic coupling between D and A brought about by the chemical design of the donor moiety.

Functionalized branched EDOT-terthiophene copolymer films by electropolymerization and post-polymerization "click"-reactions.

The electrocopolymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) with the branched thiophene building block 2,2':3',2″-terthiophene (3T) is presented as a versatile route to functional polymer films. Comparisons to blend systems of the respective homopolymers PEDOT and P3T by in situ spectroelectrochemistry and Raman spectroscopy prove the successful copolymer formation and the access to tailored redox properties and energy levels. The use of EDOT-N3 as co-monomer furthermore allows modifications of the films by polymer analogous reactions.

Isolation of ZnO-binding 12-mer peptides and determination of their binding epitopes by NMR spectroscopy.

Inorganic-binding peptides are in the focus of research fields such as materials science, nanotechnology, and biotechnology. Applications concern surface functionalization by the specific coupling to inorganic target substrates, the binding of soluble molecules for sensing applications, or biomineralization approaches for the controlled formation of inorganic materials. The specific molecular recognition of inorganic surfaces by peptides is of major importance for such applications.