Equipment

The labs of the research group are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for synthesis, purification and characterization of photoactive coordination compounds and functional (nano)materials. Advanced multiphoton micro(spectro)scopy methods are also developed and implemented.

Synthesis and characterization:

- Schlenk-lines, stirring plates, balances, glove-boxes, overnight fume-hoods, high-performance centrifuges, rotary evaporators and freeze-drying equipment.
- PuriFlash (automated chromatography from interchim) with quadrupole mass spectrometric (ESI and APCI) and UV-vis detection.
- IR and NMR spectroscopy measurements as well as mass spectrometric and elemental analyses are carried out in central facilities generously provided by the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy at WWU. Facilities for surface analysis (AFM, STM, SEM-FIB, XPS, UPS) are available in cooperation with research groups from CeNTech, SoN and CiMIC.

Spatiotemporally-resolved micro(spectro)scopy:

- MicroTime 200 (PicoQuant) spatiotemporally resolved confocal luminescence microscope with single photon counting electronics (ps – ms), a spectrograph, single-photon laser diodes and a two-photon excitation laser (Spectra Physics MAITAI EHPDS Ti:Sa oscillator, including a double-stage pulse picker from A.P.E.); this microscope is coupled via an optical fiber to an exclusively devoted spectroluminometer PicoQuant FluoTime 300 (steady-state and time resolved, 50 ps to 1 s, 300 nm to 1400 nm, with photon counting electronics, picoseconds laser heads and a pulsed flash lamp) including a thermostatic sample holder, double-grating excitation and emission polarizers .

- Spectroluminometer PicoQuant FluoTime 300 (steady-state and time resolved, 50 ps to 100 ms, 300 nm to 1400 nm, with photon counting electronics, picosecond laser heads and a pulsed flash lamp) including a thermostatic sample holder, single-grating excitation and emission polarizers.
- Liquid nitrogen-cooled Hamamatsu photomultiplier for steady-state and time resolved detection (300 nm - 1400 nm).
- Cryostats for temperature-dependent luminescence measurements (4 K to 110 °C, Oxford Instruments and ARS).
- Integrating spheres (Hamamatsu and PicoQuant) for absolute photoluminescence quantum yield determination (77 K and room temperature, UV-NIR).
- UV-3600i Plus UV-VIS-NIR (Shimadzu), Cary 5000 and Cary 100 (Varian) double beam spectrophotometers.
- Dynamic light scattering measurements (diameter and zeta potential, Malvern Zetasizer Ultra).
- Potentiostat and electrodes for electrochemical characterization in solution (AMETEK VERSASTAT3-200 - Advanced DC Voltammetry System).