Incorporation of trivalent lanthanide ions into the cavity of porphyrins affects the optical, redox, and photoconducting properties of such systems in solution and in thin films. Light-induced electron transfer reactions are being studied using flash and steady state spectroscopy. We are interested in the optical, redox, photocatalytic, and photoconducting properties of semiconductor particles in colloidal suspensions, thin films, and powders. Efforts are under way to correlate the band gap energy and photoredox properties of the semiconductor cluster to their size and nonstoichiometry. Their potential catalytic properties are being probed.
Plans are under way for their deposition as thin film on pretreated electrodes.
The project is gradually evolving into spectroscopic and photocatalytic studies of thin semiconductor films.