A paper authored by Dr. Sunil Gyawali ('25) and Professor Alan Bristow of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Trey W. Lindenthal, junior in the Department of Chemistry, was recently named an Editor’s Pick in the Review of Scientific Instruments.
The article, "In situ transient reflection setup for operando photocarrier dynamics of nanocatalysts during photocatalytic reactions," introduces an operando transient reflection setup that can monitor the ultrafast movement of charge carriers in nanocatalysts during photocatalytic reactions. A rendering of the setup is shown in the image below.
In short, the work merges chemical reactor and ultrafast laser technology to measure how nanocatalysts are modified by real chemical reactions and how those reaction conditions also the photophysics in the nanocatalyst. This is important for making valid statements about the optical absorption and electron dynamics that influence the effectiveness of nanocatalyst to catalyze the chemical reaction.
While many groups have combined conventional optical spectroscopy with catalytic measurements, this is a novel combination of photocatalytic reactions with time-resolved femtosecond optical spectroscopy. This research contributed to Dr. Sunil Gyawali's Ph.D. thesis in Spring 2025, titled "Photocarrier Dynamics in Dielectric and Metal-Dielectric Nanocatalysts in Ambient and Operando Conditions."
Co-authors include Ravi T. A. Tirumala of the University of Kansas and Marimuthu Andiappan of Oklahoma State University. Read the full article, published earlier this month, via AIP Publishing.