Welcome

Welcome to the Blank Research Group in the Chemistry Department at the University of Minnesota.

Our research group investigates a variety of dynamic events in condensed media. The investigations range from basic chemical reaction dynamics in solution to energy and charge transfer dynamics in new materials with targets including applications in solar energy conversion. Our primary experimental tools are nonlinear time domain spectroscopies and this includes new methods developed in our laboratory. Computational tools such as time dependent density functional methods and molecular dynamics simulations are used to complement the experiments and aid in the interpretation of our data.

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Recent news and publications

Michael successfully defended his thesis!
Jacob Wins Paul and Gerda Gassman Award
image Two-Photon Uncaging of Bioactive Thiols in Live Cells at Wavelengths above 800 nm

 Hammers, M; Hodny, M; Bader, T; Mahmoodi, M.M;  Fang, S; Fenton, A; Nurie, K; Trial, H,O; Xu, F; Healy, A; Ball, Z.T; Blank, D.A; Distefano, M.D. Org. Biomol. Chem, 2020.

Rachel successfully defended her thesis!
image Probing Electronic Communication and Excited-State Dynamics in the Unprecedented Ferrocene-Containing Zinc MB-DIPY

Zatsikha, Y.V.; Shamova, I.L.; Schaffner, J.W.; Healy, A.T; Blesener, T.S.; Cohen, G.; Wozniak, A.B; Nemykin, V.N. ACS Omega2020.

image.jpg Photodetachment and Electron Dynamics in 1-Butyl-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium Dicyanamide

Knudtzon, M.N.; Blank, D.A. Journal of Physical Chemistry B. 2020. 

image.jpg Probing Enhanced Exciton Diffusion in a Triplet-Sensitized Organic Photovoltaic Cell

Shi, K.; Curtin, I.; Healy, A.; Zhang, T.; Rai, D.; Blank, D.A.; Holmes, R.J. Journal of Physical Chemistry C2020, 124, 6, 3489–3495

Congrats to Meghan!
TOC JPC C Excited State Electron Transfer from Donor−π System–Acceptor Dyes to ZnO Nanocrystals

Swedin, R.; Badgurjar, D.; Healy, A.; Harkins, R.; Greenlund, L.; Alshebber, M.; Ripp, N; Anderson, A.T.; Honzay, B.R.; Pappenfus, T.M.; Janzon, D.E.; Blank, D.A.; Gladfelter, W.L.  Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2020, 124,  28, 15565–15573. 

TOC Methoxy-Substituted Nitrodibenzofuran-Based Protecting Group with an Improved Two-Photon Action Cross-Section for Thiol Protection in Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis

Bader, T.K.; Xu, X.; Hodny M.H.; Blank, D.A.; Distefano, M.D.  The Journal of Organic Chemistry, 201985, 3,1614–1625.