Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Access to and reliable performance of a research grade spectrofluorometer is an absolute imperative for researchers in physical chemistry and materials science at the University of Saskatchewan. Fluorescence and phosphorescence spectroscopy is used routinely to characterize the structures and relaxation dynamics of electronic excited states in samples ranging from small molecules in the gas phase to metalloporphyrins in solution to quantum dots and nanoscale materials in the solid phase. Measurements include: emission and excitation spectra at high resolution; quantum yields of weakly emitting species; emission anisotropies; fluorescence and phosphorescence experiments at cryogenic temperatures; excited state quenching by FRET and electron transfer. The spectrofluorometer requested will serve as a multipurpose, multi-user facility to support the research of five NSERC-funded faculty members in the Department of Chemistry and approximately 20 students, PDFs and RAs in their research groups. It will also serve as a Departmental tool for one-off experiments to be conducted by others in the larger University of Saskatchewan research community.