OBSERVATION OF SINGLET-TRIPLET TRANSITIONS IN CAPACITIVE PHOTOCURRENT SPECTROSCOPY OF ORGANIC SOLAR CELLS

Author Institution: Department of Chemistry, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292; Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292Fullerene derivatives such as [6,6]-phenyl-C$_{61}$-butyric acid methyl ester (PC$_{60}$BM) and [6,6]-phenyl-C$_{71}$-butyric acid methyl ester (PC$_{70}$BM) are promising electron acceptors for use in efficient organic solar cells. Capacitive photocurrent spectra of both PC$_{60}$BM and PC$_{70}$BM in conjunction with indium tin oxide (ITO) reveal peaks with wavelengths longer than the S$_1 \leftarrow$S$_0$ transitions. The energies of low-lying triplet states of both molecules calculated using the ZINDO/S method agree with the experimentally observed transition frequencies. An excitation mechanism that involves collisions between the photoinduced free electrons in ITO and the organic molecules on the interface is proposed to explain the experimental observation. Tests on other organic solar cells are in process. Possibilities of improving the conversion efficiency of organic solar cells utilizing this mechanism will be discussed

Photoexcitation of the triplet exciton in single wall carbon nanotubes

The carbon nanotube photoexcitation spectrum is dominated by excitonic transitions, rather than interband transitions between continuum states. There are eight distinct excitonic transitions (four singlet and four triplet), each with two-fold degeneracy. Because the triplet excitons are spin polarized with electron and hole spins both pointing in the same direction, they are optically inactive, and optical spectroscopy has revealed no evidence for their existence. Here, we show that by the interaction with a spin filter ferromagnetic semiconductor, photoexcitation of the carbon nanotube triplet exciton is possible, and its contribution to the photocurrent can be detected. The perturbation provided by the spin filter allows for inter-system mixing between the singlet and triplet excitonic states, and relaxes the spin selection rules. This supplies the first evidence for the existence of the triplet exciton, and provides an avenue for the optical excitation of spin polarized carriers in carbon nanotubes.United States Department of Energy (DE-FG02-07ER46375)National Science Foundation (NSF DMR 0504158)United States Office of Naval Research (ONR N00014-06-1-0228 and ONR N00014-06-1-0235

RAD18 and associated proteins are immobilized in nuclear foci in human cells entering S-phase with ultraviolet light-induced damage.

Proteins required for translesion DNA synthesis localize in nuclear foci of cells with replication-blocking lesions. The dynamics of this process were examined in human cells with fluorescence-based biophysical techniques. Photobleaching recovery and raster image correlation spectroscopy experiments indicated that involvement in the nuclear foci reduced the movement of RAD18 from diffusion-controlled to virtual immobility. Examination of the mobility of REV1 indicated that it is similarly immobilized when it is observed in nuclear foci. Reducing the level of RAD18 greatly reduced the focal accumulation of REV1 and reduced UV mutagenesis to background frequencies. Fluorescence lifetime measurements indicated that RAD18 and RAD6A or poleta only transferred resonance energy when these proteins colocalized in damage-induced nuclear foci, indicating a close physical association only within such foci. Our data support a model in which RAD18 within damage-induced nuclear foci is immobilized and is required for recruitment of Y-family DNA polymerases and subsequent mutagenesis. In the absence of damage these proteins are not physically associated within the nucleoplasm

RAD18 and associated proteins are immobilized in nuclear foci in human cells entering S-phase with ultraviolet light-induced damage.

Proteins required for translesion DNA synthesis localize in nuclear foci of cells with replication-blocking lesions. The dynamics of this process were examined in human cells with fluorescence-based biophysical techniques. Photobleaching recovery and raster image correlation spectroscopy experiments indicated that involvement in the nuclear foci reduced the movement of RAD18 from diffusion-controlled to virtual immobility. Examination of the mobility of REV1 indicated that it is similarly immobilized when it is observed in nuclear foci. Reducing the level of RAD18 greatly reduced the focal accumulation of REV1 and reduced UV mutagenesis to background frequencies. Fluorescence lifetime measurements indicated that RAD18 and RAD6A or poleta only transferred resonance energy when these proteins colocalized in damage-induced nuclear foci, indicating a close physical association only within such foci. Our data support a model in which RAD18 within damage-induced nuclear foci is immobilized and is required for recruitment of Y-family DNA polymerases and subsequent mutagenesis. In the absence of damage these proteins are not physically associated within the nucleoplasm