Research

An overview of our recent works:
  • Cultural Heritage:

Applications of spectroscopic techniques (EPR, Raman, UV-Vis, and more) to the analysis of cultural heritage materials (paper, frescoes, paintings, clay …).

Application of Multispectral Imaging and Portable Spectroscopic Instruments to the Analysis of an Ancient Persian Illuminated Manuscript


  • Metal Centers in Proteins:

Exploration of the ligand environment of metal cofactors in proteins -typically Cu(II), Fe(III), Mn(II)- in normal and pathological states

Water-Soluble Melanin–Protein–Fe/Cu Conjugates Derived from Norepinephrine as Reliable Models for Neuromelanin of Human Brain Locus Coeruleus


  • Nanoclusters:

Characterization of nanoclusters of Gold or other metals for singlet oxygen production in photodynamic therapy or other applications.

Understanding and controlling the efficiency of Au24M(SR)(18) nanoclusters as singlet-oxygen photosensitizers


  • Organic and organometallic dyes:

Studies of the excited state photophysics  of chromophores in solution and in solid matrices with a focus on triplet states and radical pairs.

Spin-Orbit Charge-Transfer Intersystem Crossing of Compact Naphthalenediimide-Carbazole Electron-Donor-Acceptor Triads


  • Photosynthesis:

Characterisation of the photophysics of chlorophylls, bacterial reaction centers, and other systems involved in the process of photosynthesis.

Altering the exciton landscape by removal of specific chlorophylls in monomeric LHCII provides information on the sites of triplet formation and quenching by means of ODMR and EPR spectroscopies


  • Photovoltaic Materials:

Characterization of the excited state photophysics  of polymeric materials and perovskites used for photovoltaics.

Quantification of Photophysical Processes in All-Polymer Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells


  • Proteins via Site-directed Spin Labeling:

Studies of the conformation and dynamics of proteins coupling EPR to site-directed spin labelling.

Effects of Fe2+/Fe3+ Binding to Human Frataxin and Its D122Y Variant, as Revealed by Site-Directed Spin Labeling (SDSL) EPR Complemented by Fluorescence and Circular Dichroism Spectroscopies


  • Pulsed Dipolar Spectroscopy:

Method development for the measurement of intra- and intermolecular distances on the nanometric scale.

Orientation-Selective and Frequency-Correlated Light-Induced Pulsed Dipolar Spectroscopy