The 30th @gdch.de Photochemistry conference (LCP) is approaching and will take place in beautiful Braunschweig in September. It includes five plenary lectures by well-respected speakers, as well as two prestigious award lectures. Visit www.gdch.de/photo2026 for further details.

...and the link to the paper: doi.org/10.1063/5.03...

Photophysical and structural characterization of a ruthenium complex–pyrene Coulombic dyad

Herein, we thoroughly investigate the (photo)physical properties and the geometry of the first reported Coulombic dyad, composed of dicationic tris(1,10-phenant

doi.org

Christoph Kerzig@ckerzig.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Matthias' paper with a thorough investigation of a Coulombic Dyad has been published in Chem. Phys. Rev. as a part of the "70 Years of Dexter Energy Transfer" collection. Many thanks also to our collaborators from the @labheinze.bsky.social and Diezemann groups). #Photochemistry #EnergyTransfer

Matthias' paper with a thorough investigation of a Coulombic Dyad has been published in Chem. Phys. Rev. as a part of the "70 Years of Dexter Energy Transfer" collection. Many thanks also to our collaborators from the @labheinze.bsky.social and Diezemann groups). #Photochemistry #EnergyTransfer

Exploring Spin-State Selective Harvesting Pathways from Singlet Fission Dimers to a Near-Infrared-Emissive Spin-Flip Emitter | Journal of the American Chemical Society pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Exploring Spin-State Selective Harvesting Pathways from Singlet Fission Dimers to a Near-Infrared-Emissive Spin-Flip Emitter

Singlet fission (SF), a photophysical process generating two triplet excitons from one singlet exciton, has the potential to boost efficiency in photovoltaics and organic light-emitting diodes. Previous studies on energy-level control and intermolecular interactions have identified key factors for maximizing the efficiency of the initial SF process. However, in isothermic/endothermic SF systems, such as tetracene derivatives, the subsequent sensitization process becomes less efficient in the presence of a competing Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) process. Here, we demonstrate that a molybdenum-based near-infrared light-emitting spin-flip emitter serves as a triplet-selective energy acceptor from triplet states of tetracene-based dimers generated by SF. The large energy gap existing between the spin-allowed transitions and the luminescent spin-flip transition of the molybdenum complex allowed efficient exothermic triplet energy transfer (TET) to the spin-flip excited doublet state of the complex while circumventing the FRET from the initially formed tetracene singlet state to the high-energy spin-allowed states of the complex. The quantum yields of the doublet state formation of the molybdenum complex by tetracene-based SF dimers with phenylene, 2,5-methylphenylene, and p-terphenylene bridging units were quantified to be 112 ± 6%, 132 ± 2%, and 128 ± 4%, respectively, in solution. The drop of fluorescence lifetimes of the SF dimers at high concentrations of the molybdenum complex implies energy transfer from exchange-coupled triplet pairs, highlighting the importance of controlling exchange interaction and triplet pair recombination. This work represents a significant step toward developing exciton/photon amplification materials by combining SF materials with transition-metal complexes, advancing the application of SF beyond conventional limitations.

pubs.acs.org

We're very proud to announce our newest publications on the photochemical cyclization of tertiary buta-2,3-dienamides to β-lactams! A big thanks to the collaborators from the Kerzig Group (@ckerzig.bsky.social) @angewandtechemie.bsky.social #photochemistry 💡🙌🧑‍🔬 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Photochemical Cyclization of Tertiary Buta‐2,3‐dienamides to β‐Lactams Upon Triplet Energy Transfer

Energy transfer is the key to the successful photocyclization of the title compounds to 3,4-disubstituted 2-azetidinones. If the substituent at the nitrogen atom is primary (R2 = H), trans products a...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

New perspective out! We revisit the foundations of molecular solar thermal storage (MOST) and introduce the term „mostophore“ to describe molecular units that harvest and store solar energy as heat. ☀️ Moreover, we highlight key directions for future solar-energy research. doi.org/10.1002/anie...

Molecular Solar Thermal (MOST) Energy Storage—Definitions and Requirements Revisited

Molecular solar thermal storage (MOST) systems have recently regained great interest after a period of intense research around five decades ago. This perspective clarifies the nomenclature, and intro...

doi.org

The symposium will start in about 2 hours. Don't miss the opportunity to hear five short talks dealing with diverse topics in the #photochemistry field, followed by a plenary lecture. 👇

Christoph Kerzig@ckerzig.bsky.social · 10mo ago

The first online symposium organized by the @gdch.de Division of Photochemistry will take place next week (Nov. 5, 2025, 3 pm CET zone). tu-braunschweig.webex.com/tu-braunschw... key: Photo2025 5 talks by talented students (one will be awarded🎉) followed by a plenary lecture. Save the date. ✍️

On my way to Basel to attend the Dreyfus Lectureship, which will be given by Jim McCusker. Sun is shining and the train is almost on time. #MondayMorning

The first online symposium organized by the @gdch.de Division of Photochemistry will take place next week (Nov. 5, 2025, 3 pm CET zone). tu-braunschweig.webex.com/tu-braunschw... key: Photo2025 5 talks by talented students (one will be awarded🎉) followed by a plenary lecture. Save the date. ✍️

Nice piece of work Kasper & team. I guess we should update this sentence in our current preprint: "While the influence of TIPS-ethynyl groups was not investigated with the frequently-studied perylene annihilator chromophore, ..."😅

@moth-poulsen.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Excited to share the publication of “Enhancing the Statistical Probability Factor in Triplet-Triplet Annihilation Photon Upconversion via TIPS Functionalization” in @chemicalscience.rsc.org pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

Till defended his PhD thesis today.🍾 Extremely convincing discussion and great performance resulted in degree with highest distinction💪. All the best for your postdoc in Bologna, where Giacomo Ciamician did pioneering work in #photochemistry. Curious to see what Till will achieve 🤔

Julian's manuscript dealing with a novel biphenyl annihilator and unusual effects of different substituents. Is it a new benchmark system for blue-to-UV upconversion? Read about it here: chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr... Many thanks to our collaboration partner @nobuhiroyanai.bsky.social and Masanori.

Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz report a manganese complex that stays energized for 190 ns after absorbing light—a record for low-cost abundant metals. cen.acs.org/materials/in... #chemsky 🧪

Manganese edges into the realm of noble-metal photochemistry

Pairing manganese with an off-the-shelf ligand yields a low-cost complex that mimics precious-metal photocatalysts

cen.acs.org

New molecular design absorbs 2 photons to store 2 positive and 2 negative charges 100 ns lifetime, 3 eV energy storage, and 37% quantum yield A step toward multi-electron photochemistry Mathis Brändlin and @bjoernpfund.bsky.social in @natchem.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Photoinduced double charge accumulation in a molecular compound - Nature Chemistry

The photoinduced accumulation of redox equivalents is a challenging requirement for artificial photosynthesis. Now a molecule has been developed in which the sequential absorption of photons results i...

nature.com

We show how photoredox catalysis can bypass Kasha’s rule, enabling reactions from higher excited states. This work, led by the exceptional @bjoernpfund.bsky.social, offers new insights into photochemical reactivity. Published in JACS @jacs.acspublications.org bit.ly/3IysmjX

Breaking Kasha’s Rule to Enable Higher Reactivity in Photoredox Catalysis

Nearly all photochemical transformations known to date follow Kasha’s rule, implying that reactions occur only from the lowest electronically excited state of a given spin multiplicity due to the fast...

bit.ly

The next masterpiece from Matthias focusing on Coulombic dyads as new #photocatalyst class has been accepted in ACIE. Higher quantum yields in red-light catalysis by adding an inexpensive salt to use #Os as efficiently as possible. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... @labheinze.bsky.social

Two weeks left for completing the registration for the Molecules and Light 2025 conference in beautiful Poznań. Also abstract submission is still possible. molecules_light2025.web.amu.edu.pl

New Hot article from @ckerzig.bsky.social, @gloriusfrank.bsky.social and colleagues: 'Pushing the limit of triplet–triplet annihilation photon upconversion towards the UVC range' 🔥 #OpenAccess 🔓

Pushing the limit of triplet–triplet annihilation photon upconversion towards the UVC range

Triplet–triplet annihilation photon upconversion (TTA-UC) provides a milder alternative to traditional UVB/UVC photochemistry. However, suitable sensitizer-annihilator pairs are scarce, in particular…

buff.ly

One photon or two photons, that is the question. We discuss mechanistic challenges, pitfalls, and opportunities for future research in two-photon photocatalysis @angewandtechemie.bsky.social. Many thanks to first-authors Julian and Sophie. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

The last paper of Till's PhD has finally been accepted and is online in JACS Au pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/... Insights into energy transfer in DNA through a fruitful collaboration with the Wagenknecht lab.

Direct Observation of Triplet–Triplet Energy Transfer in DNA between Energy Donor and Acceptor C-Nucleotides

Investigating the migration of excited-state energy in DNA is crucial for a deep understanding of protection mechanisms and light-induced DNA damage. While numerous reports focused on single electron transfer and Förster-type energy transfer in DNA, studies on the Dexter-type triplet–triplet energy transfer are scarce, in particular, those with direct detection of photoexcited triplet states. Herein, we present direct measurements of the distance-dependent triplet–triplet energy transfer rates through DNA by using transient absorption spectroscopy. This was achieved through the synthetic incorporation of thioxanthone as an energy donor and naphthalene as an energy acceptor into a DNA double strand at defined positions. The energy transfer rates strongly depend on the number of A-T base pairs (up to four) separating the energy donor from the energy acceptor. We observed a fast energy transfer rate with a time constant of 17 ns for the DNA sample in which the donor and acceptor are directly adjacent in the DNA. By analyzing two additional donor–acceptor distances, a steep exponential distance dependence with an attenuation factor of 1.15 Å–1 could be obtained. Our results demonstrate that DNA acts as a poor conductor of triplet energy when energy donors with triplet energies below 2.7 eV are used, complementing more indirect studies on sensitized DNA damage.

pubs.acs.org

Sie sind Vorbilder für Nachwuchswissenschaftler:innen und prägen durch ihren herausragenden Einsatz in Forschung & Entwicklung den Innovationsstandort 🇩🇪 entscheidend mit: unsere Dozentenpreisträger:innen Corina Andronescu, @ckerzig.bsky.social & Golo Storch! www.vci.de/fonds/preise...

It was our pleasure. We really enjoyed working with the user-friendly instrument. Many thanks for developing the HARPIA-LIGHT system. Here is the link to the first paper containing measurements carried out with it: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Bichromophoric Ruthenium Complexes for Photocatalyzed Late-Stage Synthesis of Trifluoromethylated Indolizines

Indolizines are a promising class of biologically active compounds. However, photocatalytic methods for their selective derivatization are scarce in the literature. Herein, a mild, simple, and chemose...

pubs.acs.org

Light Conversion@lightconversion.bsky.social · last yr.

The @ckerzig.bsky.social group was among the first to use @lightconversion.bsky.social HARPIA-LIGHT tabletop #spectroscopy #system to study bichromophoric photocatalysts - leading to the first publication using the system. Learn more about their #ultrafast research: lightcon.com/news/christo...

Can you #recyle your molecular #photocatalyst? Can you use #water in your #photocatalysis? Can you use #sunlight? Can undergrads prepare the photocatalyst on >12 g scale? Out now in Advanced Synthesis and Catalysis lmy.de/BgahY. Thanks to @dfg.de for funding.

Many thanks for your kind words. Highly appreciated! It was also great to interact with you during the coffee break.

Marc Kielmann Bolten@henloeditorfren.bsky.social · last yr.

Major congratulations to Christoph Kerzig @ckerzig.bsky.social for being awarded the prestigious Carl Duisburg Memorial Prize at the #Chemiedozententagung #CDT2025. Looking forward to an outstanding lecture on his achievements in photochemical energy conversion and #photocatalysis.

Our collaborative manuscript with the Wagenknecht lab (KIT) is finally online. Dexter energy transfer in DNA and its distance dependence has been observed using TA spectroscopy. #triplet #photochemistry

ChemRxiv Bot@chemrxivbot.bsky.social · last yr.

Direct Observation of Triplet-Triplet Energy Transfer Between C-Nucleotides of Thioxanthone and Naphthalene in DNA Authors: Sebastian Häcker, Till J. B. Zähringer, Hans-Achim Wagenknecht, Christoph Kerzig DOI: 10.26434/chemrxiv-2025-nrzhp

Our very own Matthias after presenting his results on Coulombic dyads. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/... #proudPI #photochemistry

Efficient Energy and Electron Transfer Photocatalysis with a Coulombic Dyad

Photocatalysis holds great promise for changing the way value-added molecules are currently prepared. However, many photocatalytic reactions suffer from quantum yields well below 10%, hampering the tr...

pubs.acs.org

Dalton Transactions@daltontrans.rsc.org · last yr.

We proudly sponsored the 19th Coordination Chemistry Meeting (KCT 2025) at @uni-muenster.de last week! Congratulations to Matthias Schmitz (@mainzuniversity.bsky.social) for being awarded our best lecture prize for their talk on coulombic dyads as new catalyst class for efficient photocatalysis🎉

One month to go to the abstract submission deadline (24/03/25) for contributed talks at the 5th International #SolarFuels conference, which we're organising together with the @rsc.org in Newcastle, UK, this September. #chemsky #photocatalysis

Martijn Zwijnenburg@zwijcompchem.bsky.social · 2y ago

Oral abstract submission is open for the 5th International #SolarFuels conference, which we're organising this September in the UK together with the @roysocchem.bsky.social. Abstract submission and more details please see: t.co/SC9X9sLpBX. Abstract deadline: 24/03/25. #chemsky #photocatalysis

I feel deeply honored. Many thanks to my young team of highly motivated scientist, my mentors and the selection committee🙏🍾

Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh)@gdch.de · last yr.

Auf der Chemiedozententagung (CDT) 2025 verleiht die GDCh Karl Arnold Reuter, Freiburg, die Carl-Duisberg-Plakette und Christoph Kerzig, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, den Carl-Duisberg-Gedächtnispreis. Zudem erhalten drei junge Wissenschaftler:innen ADUC-Preise: gdch.app/article/gdch...

Registration for the 32nd International Conference on Photochemistry is now open! Secure your spot at #ICP2025 and join us in Aachen for an exciting week of cutting-edge photochemistry. Register now at 👉 www.icp2025.de

ICP2025

The 32nd International Conference on Photochemistry will take place from July 13 (Sunday) to July 18 (Friday), 2025 in Aachen (Germany). The event is jointly organized by the RWTH Aachen University…

icp2025.de

Many thanks to @hadlingtongroup.bsky.social @joshabbenseth.bsky.social Gabriele Hierlmeier and Frank Tambornino for highlighting our Coulombic dyad approach as a new trend. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...