Amanda Smeigh Website Information : Wasielewski Group
Education:
BA: College of Wooster – 2001
Determining the Presence of Petroleum Based Hydrocarbons in the Wooster Water Pollution
Control Plant "Vacuator" Effluent (Prof. Richard Bromund)
PhD: Michigan State University – 2001-2007 – Prof. James McCusker
Ultrafast dynamics associated with Fe(II)-based polypyridyl complexes for use in TiO2-based dye
sensitized solar cells
Post Doctoral Research: Uppsala University – 2007-2009 – Prof. Leif Hammarström
Optical characterization as a tool for optimization of sensitized NiO-based photocathodes for use
in tandem dye sensitized solar cells
Current Research:
My current research employs time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy, which allows us to probe
the behavior of different molecular systems after they are photoexcited. Understanding the various
processes that occur upon photoexcitation enables us to design molecular systems that more efficiently
produce a desired response. These responses can vary from intramolecular photo-oxidation or –reduction
to “spin teleportation”.
In addition to studies at room temperature, we can change the thermal environment of the molecular
systems. This allows us to correlate many of our optical results with the results of other techniques, such
as EPR where it is often necessary to cool the sample. We have the ability to probe dynamics on
timescales as short as 150 femtoseconds (1.5 x10-13 s) and as long as 5 microseconds (5.0 x10-6 s) at
temperatures between 353K (176 F or 80 C) to 77K (-321 F or -196 C).
Publications:
“Cyclometalated Ru-II Complexes with Improved Octahedral Geometry: Synthesis and Photophysical
Properties” - Jäger, M.; Smeigh, A.; Lombeck, F.; Gorls, H.; Collin, J-P.; Sauvage, J-P.; Hammarström,
L.; Johansson, O. Inorg. Chem. 2010, 49, 374-376.
“A p-Type NiO-Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell with an Open-Circuit Voltage of 0.35 V” - Gibson, E.
A.; Smeigh, A. L.; Le Pleux, L.; Fortage, J.; Boschloo, G.; Blart, E.; Pellegrin, Y.; Odobel, F.; Hagfeldt,
A.; Hammarström, L. Angewandte Chemi. Int. Ed. 2009, 24, 4402-4405.
“Femtosecond Time-Resolved Optical and Raman Spectroscopy of Photoinduced Spin Crossover:
Temporal Resolution of Low-to-High Spin Optical Switching” - Smeigh, A. L.; Creelman, M.; Mathies,
R. A.; McCusker, J. K. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 14105.
“Effect of the Presence of Iodide on the Electron Injection Dynamics of Dye-sensitized TiO2-based Solar
Cells” - Smeigh, A. L.; Katz, J. E.; Burnschwig, B.; Lewis, N. S.; McCusker, J. K. J. Phys. Chem. C
2008, 112, 12065-12068.
“Picosecond X-ray absorption spectroscopy of a photoinduced iron(II) spin crossover reaction in
solution” - Kahlil, M.; Marcus, M. A.; Smeigh, A. L.; McCusker, J. K.; Chong, H. H. W.; Schoenlein, R.
W. J. Phys. Chem. A 2006, 110, 38-44.
“Intramolecular Energy Transfer Involving Heisenberg Spin-coupled Dinuclear Iron-oxo Complexes” –
Picraux, L. B.; Smeigh, A. L.; Guo, D.; McCusker, J. K. Inorg. Chem. 2005, 44, 7846-7859.