Controlling photoinduced PCET and PCEnT with sub-molecular precision (C06#)

• Subject Area: Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 510228793

The project aims to achieve detailed understanding of how local chemical and electrostatic environments influence the individual steps of photoinduced proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET). We will focus on the role of vibronic transitions, how they influence the competition between PCET and proton-coupled energy transfer (PCEnT), and the role of local electric fields in engineering these processes. The project employs a combination of high-resolution scanning probe microscopy and optical spectroscopy to investigate individual molecules adsorbed on inert surfaces, allowing access to elementary steps of PCET and PCEnT with sub-molecular spatial resolution.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1633: Pushing Electrons with Protons – Unifying Multi-Electron Redox Catalysis by Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer
• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Katharina Kaiser