From Nature to the Laboratory: Tales of Spin Polarisation

This talk highlights the beauty and significance of spin polarisation phenomena as explored by chemists, physicists, and biologists. The systems discussed are inspired by nature’s ingenious designs, which have guided the development of new materials and contributed to improved sensitivity in spectroscopic techniques. Rather than attempting to cover every aspect of spin polarisation, the presentation focuses on research carried out by our group over the past decade. It will touch on diverse topics, including molecular wires, chemical compasses, and animal magnetoreception.

A substantial part of the talk will address Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) studies of photogenerated triplet states and explore the success of chemical strategies used to control spin delocalisation. The discussion will also cover spin-correlated radical pairs in artificial photosynthetic reaction centres and magnetosensitive proteins, investigated using both EPR and optical spectroscopic methods.

Speaker: Christiane Timmel, Director (Chemistry) of the Centre for Advanced Spin Resonance (CAESR), University of Oxford