Professor Randall Goldsmith, University of Wisconsin.  "Single-Molecule Spectroscopy with Catalysts, Conductive Polymers, and Optical Microresonators."  Woodward CCB Departmental Colloquium.

Single-Molecule Spectroscopy with Catalysts, Conductive Polymers, and Optical Microresonators

Measurements on individual molecules have revolutionized how chemists can perceive molecular properties and dynamics, yet single-molecule techniques can only be applied with considerable experimental constraints.  The Goldsmith group develops new tools through chemical synthesis, micro and nanophotonics, and microfluidics that allow single-molecule techniques to be applied in previously inaccessible scenarios and enable new measurements.  I will discuss recent measurements on the initiation of individual organometallic catalysts, observation of single-molecule binding dynamics at millimolar concentrations, detecting the heat dissipated from molecules using optical microresonators, hybrid photonic-plasmonic systems, and spectroscopy on individual conductive polymer molecules.