Dirk M. Guldi

Bio: Dirk M. Guldi is an academic researcher from University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. The author has contributed to research in topics: Electron transfer & Excited state. The author has an hindex of 93, co-authored 810 publications receiving 38911 citations. Previous affiliations of Dirk M. Guldi include New York University & Osaka University.

Organic functionalization of carbon nanotubes

Abstract: A very general and versatile method for functionalizing different types of carbon nanotubes is described, using the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides. Approximately one organic group per 100 carbon atoms of the nanotube is introduced, to yield remakably soluble bundles of nanotubes, as seen in transmission electron micrographs. The solubilization of the nanotubes generates a novel, interesting class of materials, which combines the properties of the nanotubes and the organic moiety, thus offering new opportunities for applications in materials science, including the preparation of nanocomposites.

Excited-state properties of C(60) fullerene derivatives.

Abstract: This Account reviews our main achievements in the field of excited-state properties of fullerene derivatives. The photosensitizing and electron-acceptor features of some relevant classes of functionalized fullerene materials are highlighted, considering the impact of functionalization on fullerene characteristics. In addition, the unique optimization in terms of redox potentials, water-solubility, and singlet oxygen generation is presented for several novel fullerene-based materials.

Molecular design of strong single-wall carbon nanotube/polyelectrolyte multilayer composites

Abstract: The mechanical failure of hybrid materials made from polymers and single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) is primarily attributed to poor matrix–SWNT connectivity and severe phase segregation. Both problems can be successfully mitigated when the SWNT composite is made following the protocol of layer-by-layer assembly. This deposition technique prevents phase segregation of the polymer/SWNT binary system, and after subsequent crosslinking, the nanometre-scale uniform composite with SWNT loading as high as 50 wt% can be obtained. The free-standing SWNT/polyelectrolyte membranes delaminated from the substrate were found to be exceptionally strong with a tensile strength approaching that of hard ceramics. Because of the lightweight nature of SWNT composites, the prepared free-standing membranes can serve as components for a variety of long-lifetime devices.

Fullerene–porphyrin architectures; photosynthetic antenna and reaction center models

Abstract: Fullerenes and porphyrins are molecular architectures ideally suited for devising integrated, multicomponent model systems to transmit and process solar energy. Implementation of C60 as a 3-dimensional electron acceptor holds great expectations on account of their small reorganization energy in electron transfer reactions and has exerted a noteworthy impact on the improvement of light-induced charge-separation. This article describes how the specific compositions of porphyrin chromophores linked to C60—yielding artificial light harvesting antenna and reaction center mimics—have been elegantly utilized to tune the electronic couplings between donor and acceptor sites and the total reorganization energy. Specifically, the effects that these parameters have on the rate, yield and lifetime of the energetic charge-separated states are considered.

Covalent and noncovalent phthalocyanine-carbon nanostructure systems: synthesis, photoinduced electron transfer, and application to molecular photovoltaics.

Abstract: Photosynthesis is used by nature to convert light energy into chemical energy in some living systems. In such a process, a cascade of very efficient, short-range energy and electron transfer events between well-arranged, light-harvesting organic donor and acceptor pigments takes place within the photosynthetic reaction center, leading to the overall generation of chemical energy from sunlight with near quantum efficiency.1-8 During the past decade, a significant effort has been made by the scientific community toward the preparation of synthetic model compounds of natural photosynthetic systems able to convert light into other energy sources,9 probably fostered by the increasing concerns related to the utilization of fossils fuels for the production of electricity in terms of both availability and environmental issues. However, considering the structural complexity presented by the natural photosynthetic systems, much of the scientific effort has been devoted toward the preparation and study of structurally simpler systems, with the aim of reproducing some of the fundamental steps occurring in natural photosynthesis, one of the most important being the photoinduced charge separation (CS).10-12 Among the chromophores that have been used as molecular components in artificial photosynthetic systems, porphyrinoids, the ubiquitous molecular building blocks employed by nature in natural photosynthesis, have been the preferred and obvious choice, due to their intense optical absorption and rich redox chemistry.13-20 Within the large family of porphyrinoid systems, phthalocyanines (Pcs) enjoy a privileged position (Figure 1a). These chromophores, which have a two-dimensional 18-πelectron aromatic system isoelectronic with that of porphyrins (Pors), possess in fact unique physicochemical properties which render these macrocycles valuable building blocks in materials science.21-32 Pcs are thermally and chemically stable compounds which present an intense absorption in the red/near-infrared (IR) region of the solar spectrum with extinction coefficients (as high as 200 000 M-1 cm-1) and fluorescence quantum yields * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: tomas.torres@uam.es (T.T.); dirk.guldi@chemie.uni-erlangen.de (D.M.G.). † Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. ‡ Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg. § IMDEA-Nanociencia. Chem. Rev. 2010, 110, 6768–6816 6768

I and i

Abstract: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality. Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

Aggregation-Induced Emission: Together We Shine, United We Soar!

Abstract: Ju Mei,†,‡,∥ Nelson L. C. Leung,†,‡,∥ Ryan T. K. Kwok,†,‡ Jacky W. Y. Lam,†,‡ and Ben Zhong Tang*,†,‡,§ †HKUST-Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518057, China ‡Department of Chemistry, HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study, Institute of Molecular Functional Materials, Division of Biomedical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China Guangdong Innovative Research Team, SCUT-HKUST Joint Research Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China

Chemistry of Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract: Department of Materials Science, University of Patras, 26504 Rio Patras, Greece, Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vass. Constantinou Avenue, 116 35 Athens, Greece, Institut de Biologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire, UPR9021 CNRS, Immunologie et Chimie Therapeutiques, 67084 Strasbourg, France, and Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Universita di Trieste, Piazzale Europa 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy