DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

Research Statement

Our research goal is to establish relationships of energetics, dynamics and structures in photochemical and photophysical processes on different temporal and spatial scales. We are interested in light-matter interactions in different molecular, nanostructured, and supramolecular systems related to solar energy conversion, catalysis, molecular devices and enzymatic processes. Using a variety of experimental techniques, such as ultrafast optical and X-ray spectroscopy/scattering, as well as theoretical calculations, we seek fundamental understanding of photon/matter interactions in order to minimize the driving force and optimize the output of photochemical reactions. The results from our research provide feedbacks/guidance to materials design and synthesis.

Selected Publications

Photophysical implications of ring fusion, linker length, and twisting angle in a series of perylenediimide-thienoacene dimers, Leonard, A. A.;  Mosquera, M. A.;  Jones, L. O.;  Cai, Z.;  Fauvell, T. J.;  Kirschner, M. S.;  Gosztola, D. J.;  Schatz, G. C.;  Schaller, R. D.;  Yu, L.; Chen, L. X., Chemical Science, 11, 7133-7143 (2020).

Large Exciton Diffusion Coefficients in Two Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks with Different Domain Sizes Revealed by Ultrafast Exciton Dynamics, Nathan C. Flanders, Matthew S. Kirschner, Pyosang Kim, Thomas J. Fauvell, Austin M. Evans, Waleed Helweh, Austin P. Spencer, Richard D. Schaller, William R. Dichtel, Lin X. Chen, J. Am. Chem. Soc. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.0c05404 (2020).

In Situ Grazing-Incidence Wide-Angle Scattering Reveals Mechanisms for Phase Distribution and Disorientation in 2D Halide Perovskite Films. Hoffman, J. M.;  Strzalka, J.;  Flanders, N. C.;  Hadar, I.;  Cuthriell, S. A.;  Zhang, Q.;  Schaller, R. D.;  Dichtel, W. R.;  Chen, L. X.; Kanatzidis, M. G., Advanced Materials 2002812 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202002812 (2020).

Integrating solvation shell structure in experimentally driven molecular dynamics using x-ray solution scattering data, Darren J. Hsu, Denis Leshchev, Irina Kosheleva, Kevin L. Kohlstedt , and Lin X. Chen, J. Chem. Phys. 152, 204115 (2020).

X-ray snapshots reveal conformational influence on active site ligation during metalloprotein folding, Darren J. Hsu, Denis Leshchev, Dolev Rimmerman, Jiyun Hong,   Matthew S. Kelley, Irina Koshelev, Xiaoyi Zhang, Lin X. Chen, Chem. Sci. 10, 9788–9800 (2019).

Photoinduced, reversible phase transitions in all-inorganic perovskite nanocrystals, Kirschner, M. S.; Diroll, B. T.; Guo, P.; Haryey, S. M.; Helweh, W.; Flanders, N. C.; Brumberg, A.; Watkins, N. E.; Leonard, A. A.; Evans, A. M.; Wasielewski, M. R.; Dichtel, W. R.; Zhang, X.; Chen, L. X.; Schaller, R. D. Nature Communications 10, 504 (2019). 

Coherent Vibrational Wavepacket Dynamics in Platinum(II) Dimers and Their Implications, Pyosang Kim, Matthew S. J. Kelley, Arnab Chakraborty, George C. Schatz, Felix N. Castellano, Lin X. Chen, J. Phys. Chem. C (invited for Kamat Special Issue) 122, 14195–14204 (2018).

Probing Cytochrome c Folding Transitions upon Photo-triggered Environmental Perturbations Using Time-Resolved X-Ray Scattering, Dolev Rimmerman, Denis Leshchev, Darren J. Hsu, Jiyun Hong, Baxter Abraham, Robert Henning, Irina Kosheleva, Lin X. Chen, J. Phys. Chem. B, 122, 5218−5224 (2018).

Chapter 10. “Ultrafast Photochemical Reaction Trajectories Revealed by X-ray Transient Absorption Spectroscopy Using X-ray Free Electron Laser Sources”, Lin X. Chen, in X-Ray Free Electron Lasers: Applications in Materials, Chemistry and Biology, Ed. U. Bergmann, V. Yachandra, J. Yano, pp. 201 – 224, Royal Chem. Soc. Publishing (2017).

Using coherence to enhance function in chemical and biophysical systems, Scholes, G. D.; Fleming, G. R.; Chen, L. X.; Aspuru-Guzik, A.; Buchleitner, A.; Coker, D. F.; Engel, G. S.; van Grondelle, R.; Ishizaki, A.; Jonas, D. M.; Lundeen, J. S.; McCusker, J. K.; Mukamel, S.; Ogilvie, J. P.; Olaya-Castro, A.; Ratner, M. A.; Spano, F. C.; Whaley, K. B.; Zhu, X. Nature 543, 647-656 (2017).

Ultrafast Processes in the Relaxation of a Nickel(II) Porphyrin Described by Femtosecond X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy, Megan L. Shelby, Patrick J. Lestrange, Nicholas E. Jackson, Michael W. Mara, Kristoffer Haldrup, Andrew B. Stickrath, Diling Zhu, Henrik Lemke, Brian M. Hoffman, Xiaosong Li, Lin X. Chen, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 138, 8752–8764 (2016).

Electron Injection from Copper Diimine Sensitizers into TiO2: Structural Effects and Their Implications for Solar Energy Conversion Devices, Michael W. Mara, David N. Bowman, Onur Buyukcakir, Megan L. Shelby, Kristoffer Haldrup, Jier Huang, Michael R. Harpham, Andrew B. Stickrath, Xiaoyi Zhang, J. Fraser Stoddart, Ali Coskun, Elena Jakubikova, Lin X. Chen, J. Am. Chem. Soc.137, 9670- 9684 (2015).

Selected Honors/Awards

• Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry, 2021.
• Argonne Distinguished Fellow, 2020.
• Senior Award of Experimental Physical Chemistry, ACS, 2020. 
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow, 2012.
• The University of Chicago Award for Distinguished Performance at Argonne, 2002.