Proteus is a complete turnkey nanosecond transient spectroscopy instrument with extensive spectral and temporal coverage. Its modular design allows for extra flexibility with your experimental setup. Proteus is used for monitoring photoinduced optical absorption changes. The experimental time window is from a few nanoseconds to “human” time scales (multi-seconds). The wavelength range is from 200 nm to 1600 nm depending on the option. Applications abound in photophysics, photochemistry, photobiology, cell biology, materials science, nano-science, transient spectrometry, and many more areas. Typical examples of applications involve studies of intramolecular processes such as triplet state deactivation, intramolecular electron transfer (usually charge recombination), etc. Various intermolecular processes such as triplet-triplet energy transfer, diffusion controlled electron transfer, diffusion controlled triplet state quenching, and etc. can also be effectively studied with this method. Proteus utilizes a continuous recording method in which a photo-detector (photodiode, photomultiplier tube) monitors the transmittance of the sample at fixed wavelength (in a continuous manner, before, during, and after the initiating laser pulse. The detector output is fed to the digital oscilloscope, which acquires the waveform and stores it for eventual processing. Thus recording of the V(t) profile is done in real time. Repeating the process over a series of wavelengths allows the investigator to build up the dynamic surface for the light-induced transient, which is capable of providing rate data at different wavelengths and time-dependent spectra. This method is excellent for providing kinetic information since the time profiles from a single experiment arrive at the digitizer as analog voltage waveforms that can be digitized into as many bits of information as required. This lends itself to highly precise determinations of rate parameters.

Features:

• Probe Spectral Range: UV-NIR (300-1600 nm)
• Spectral Resolution: variable
• Time Window: up to 100 ms
• Intrinsic Time Resolution: standard – 5 ns
• Data acquisition modes: Absorption, Emission, Emission Corrected Absorption

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The Proteus spectrometer has been consistently producing high quality data which has led to publications in peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of the American Chemical Society, Inorganic Chemistry, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, and Dalton Transactions. As this reliable system continues to produce high quality data, more publications are sure to come in the future. Dr. Aaron Rachford Department of Chemistry Bowling Green State University.

We are very happy about our new flash photolysis nanosecond system. I take this opportunity to thank you very much for your prompt and effective assistance during the set-up of the facility. Prof. Nicola Armaroli, Istituto ISOF/CNR, Bologna, ITALY.

Chunxing She, Aaron A. Rachford, Xianghuai Wang, Se´ bastien Goeb, Ala’a O. El-Ballouli, Felix N. Castellano and Joseph T. Hupp. "Solvent-induced configuration mixing and triplet excited-state inversion: insights from transient absorption and transient dc photoconductivity measurements". Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2009, 11, 8586–8591.

Tanya N. Singh-Rachford and Felix N. Castellano. "Low Power Visible-to-UV Upconversion". J. Phys. Chem. A 5912, 2009, 113, 5912–5917.

Evgeny O. Danilov, Aaron A. Rachford, Se´bastien Goeb, and Felix N. Castellano. "Evolution of the Triplet Excited State in PtII Perylenediimides". J. Phys. Chem. A 2009, 113, 5763–5768.

Maria L. Muro, Stephane Diring, Xianghuai Wang, Raymond Ziessel, and Felix N. Castellano. "Photophysics in Platinum(II) Bipyridylacetylides". Inorg. Chem. 2009, 48, 11533–11542.

Tanya N. Singh-Rachford and Felix N. Castellano. "Supra-Nanosecond Dynamics of a Red-to-Blue Photon Upconversion System". Inorg. Chem. 2009, 48, 2541-2548.

Aaron A. Rachford, Fei Hua, Christopher J. Adams and Felix N. Castellano. "A near-infrared emitter and singlet oxygen sensitizer". Dalton Transactions. 12th February 2009

Gerdenis Kodis, Yuichi Terazono, Paul A. Liddell, Joakim Andréasson, Vikas Garg, Michael Hambourger, Thomas A. Moore, Ana L. Moore, and Devens Gust  “Energy and Photoinduced Electron Transfer in a Wheel-Shaped Artificial Photosynthetic Antenna-Reaction Center Complex” J. Am. Chem. Soc 2006 128 (6), 1818-1827

Stephen D Straight, Gerdenis Kodis, Yuichi Terazono, Michael Hambourger, Thomas A Moore, Ana L Moore, Devens Gust “Self-regulation of photoinduced electron transfer by a molecular nonlinear transducer” Nat Nanotechnol. 2008 May ;3 (5):280-3

Stephen D. Straight, Joakim Andrasson, Gerdenis Kodis, Ana L. Moore, Thomas A. Moore, and Devens Gust “Photochromic Control of Photoinduced Electron Transfer. Molecular Double-Throw Switch” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2005, 127 (8), 2717-2724

Aaron A. Rachford, Sebastien Goeb, Raymond Ziessel and Felix N. Castellano “Ligand Localized Triplet Excited States in Platinum(II) Bipyridyl and Terpyridyl Peryleneacetylides” Inorg. Chem., 2008, 47, 4348-4355

Sebastien Goeb, Aaron A. Rachford and Felix N. Castellano “Solvent-induced configuration mixing and triplet excited state inversion exemplified in a Pt(II) complex” Chem. Commun., 2008, 814–816

Aaron A. Rachford, Sebastien Goeb, and Felix N. Castellano “Accessing the Triplet Excited State in Perylenediimides” J. AM. CHEM. SOC., 2008, 130, 2766-2767

Advantages of Proteus

• Quick and easy installation
• Easy accommodation of harmonic generators and OPOs
• Superb data analysis software tool
• Flexible optical setup. Since the Proteus does not have an enclosure and the components are positioned directly on a laser table, the optical setup can be easily reorganized. For example, switching between the transmission and reflection modes can be done by simply adding a few mirrors. Accommodating additional items, such as cryostats, etc. is also easy to do.
• Large detector dynamic range. The Proteus optical setup allows for a large amount of probe light to be delivered to the detectors. Additionally, an ultra low noise amplifier is utilized to convert the photocurrent from the detector. This enables us to use photodiodes instead of a PMT. This, in turn, results in a larger dynamic range and S/N ratio in the data.
• Long time window. The efficient optical setup of the Proteus allows us to use a CW probe light source instead of a pulsed lamp. We can therefore record transients over a long time window – up to 100 ms.
• Reliability. The detector photodiodes in Proteus are very robust. In contrast to a PMT, it is quite difficult to damage photodiodes. They are much tougher mechanically and cannot be easily burned by an accidental exposure to the excess of light. Even if a diode gets damaged, replacing it costs only a few hundred $$.
• Broad spectral range (UV-VIS-NIR). The sensitivity range of the Proteus detectors (Si and InGaAs photodiodes) spans from UV to NIR.

Applications:

• Photophysics
• Photochemistry
• Photobiology
• Cell biology
• Materials science
• Nano-science
• Transient spectrometry, and many more areas

Typical examples of applications involve studies of intramolecular processes such as:

• Triplet state deactivation
• Intramolecular electron transfer (usually charge recombination), etc

Various intermolecular processes can also be effectively studied with this method, such as:

• Triplet-triplet energy transfer
• Diffusion controlled electron transfer
• Diffusion controlled triplet state quenching, and etc

ACCESSORIES		DESCRIPTION
Surface Xplorer		The Surface Xplorer software makes working with 3D time-resolved data fast and efficient. It combines strong presentational features including simultaneous 3D and 2D data display with powerful data analysis capabilities such as nonlinear fitting, SVD and Global Analysis.