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Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Optical Control of Living Cells Electrical Activity by Conjugated Polymers
Published on: January 28, 2016
Optical control of electrons during electron transfer
I B Martini1, E R Barthel, B J Schwartz
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1569, USA.
Abstract:
The dynamics of electron transfer reactions in solution can be controlled with the use of a sequence of femtosecond laser pulses. In the charge transfer to solvent (CTTS) reaction of sodide (Na-) in tetrahydrofuran, an initial light pulse launched the CTTS reaction, ejecting an electron into either an immediate or a solvent-separated Na0:solvated electron contact pair. A second pulse was used to excite the electrons in the contact pairs, and a third pulse monitored the amount of Na- produced through the back electron transfer. Excitation of the electrons in immediate contact pairs shut off the back electron transfer, whereas excitation of the electrons in solvent-separated pairs both enhanced and hindered the back electron transfer.
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