报告题目

Aggregated organic dyes for photocatalysis

报告人

Prof. Luka Đorđević

报告人单位

University of Padova

报告时间

2026年4月8日（星期三）10:00

报告地点

东校区环资楼640会议室

主办单位

精准智能化学全国重点实验室

报告摘要

Sustainable solar energy conversion depends on the development of robust, tunable, and efficient photocatalytic materials. This seminar explores the emerging field of self-assembled organic chromophores, which offer a powerful alternative to both molecular systems and inorganic semiconductors.By leveraging supramolecular interactions, such as π–π stacking and hydrophobic effects, these systems mimic the light-harvesting architectures of natural photosynthesis to achieve high photocatalytic efficiency in aqueous environments. Unlike traditional heterogeneous catalysts, these one- and two-dimensional nanostructures provide a unique platform where molecular customizability meets the practical benefits of solid-state materials, such as ease of separation and recyclability. Precise arrangement of π-conjugated dyes allows for the fine-tuning of optoelectronic properties, facilitating efficient exciton transport and charge separation while maintaining the structural integrity required for long-term stability in water-splitting and redox applications.

In this seminar, the critical role of molecular packing and "aggregation-induced photocatalysis" (AIP) in determining reactivity will be presented. Recently, our group has demonstrated that the photocatalytic activity can be enhanced by aggregation of organic chromophores in water through stabilization of their localized excited states.This "rigidification" of the organic chromophores within the aggregate can suppresses unproductive non-radiative decay (such as intramolecular motions), thereby increasing the photocatalytic activity of the nanostructures. We will examine how the aggregation enalbes the production of storable fuels like hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide. By correlating nanostructure formation with specific photophysical outputs, this seminar underscores how supramolecular engineering can surpass the limitations of isolated molecular dyes, offering a sophisticated blueprint for the next generation of switchable, high-performance organic photocatalysts.

报告人简介

Luka obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Trieste, supervised by Profs. Prato and Bonifazi. During his Ph.D. he was a visiting scholar at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University. After graduation, he carried out postdoctoral research with Prof. Prato (University of Trieste) and Prof. Bonifazi (Cardiff University). He then joined the group of Prof. Stupp (Northwestern University) as a fellow funded by the US Department of Energy. Three years ago, Luka established his group at the University of Padova - Department of Chemical Sciences. There, thanks to an ERC Starting Grant and "Rita Levi Montalcini" program, his team is investigating strategies to convert, store and use solar energy.