Photoinduced, Charge‐Driven, and Molecular Processes under Confinement

The geometric confinement to nanoscale dimensions has a significant impact on physical properties of molecules and transition states or pathways of molecular processes, enabling the formation of new species. Even though scientists are widely making use of molecular confinement in diverse fields such as material science, surface science, catalysis, and supramolecular chemistry, fundamental mechanisms that alter molecular processes are not fully explored yet. Especially different branches of science often relate the predominant impact of geometric confinement to different effective origins. Thus, we strive to establish a scientific, interdisciplinary community to foster fundamental research in this emerging field of confinement-controlled processes and to develop guidelines for a unified approach across disciplines of investigating and describing confinement effects to remove inconsistencies in their interpretation.

In this seminar, we will bring together an international group of established senior and early career researchers from the complementary fields of surface science, physical chemistry, physical organic chemistry, material science, and theory. We aim at unravelling the impact and underlying mechanisms of confinement-induced effects on molecular properties and transformations focusing on charge-driven and photoinduced processes under partially and fully confined environments including surfaces, nanoand mesoporous materials, nanotubes, micelles, organic cages, helicates, and cell compartments.

The conference language will be English. The Wilhelm and Else Heraeus-Foundation bears the cost of full-board accommodation for all participants.