Dana D. Dlott
Professor of Chemistry
Professor Dana D. Dlott received his undergraduate degree from Columbia in 1974 and his Ph.D. from Stanford in 1979. He joined the faculty at Illinois in 1979. Professor Dlott's research interests are in chemical physics, and physical and materials chemistry. His research is focused on understanding the dynamical behavior of molecules in condensed matter, including crystalline solids, glasses, polymers, biopolymers, surfaces and liquids.
Research
We study the dynamic behavior of molecules in condensed matter, including crystals, liquids, glasses, polymers, biological systems surfaces, and interfaces, using femtosecond (10-15 s) spectroscopic techniques that incorporate the latest developments in ultrafast infrared generation and coherent and nonlinear optics.
3D Vibrational Spectroscopy. We have developed a new technique that combines femtosecond infrared and fetmosecond Raman spectroscopy to produce a multidimensional picture of vibrational energy flow in molecules. This new technique is the most powerful method presently available to study vibrational energy transfer. We have used it to study vibrational energy flow in simple liquids such as acetonitrile, water, and methanol. in the future we will use multidimensional vibrational spectroscopy to study more complex systems such as polymer chains, biological molecules, and nanoparticles.
Vibrational Sum-frequency Generation (SFG) is a powerful technique for obtaining the vibrational spectrum of molecules at surfaces and interfaces. We have recently developed a powerful femtosecond SFG apparatus that can look at the fast time scale dynamics of interfacial molecules. it can be used to study interfacial phenomena such as lubrication, surface photochemistry and electrochemistry, and fast mechanical phenomena such as the cracking or fracture of materials.
Shock Waves. instead of the usual techniques that use laser pulses to drive molecules into electronically excited states, we have developed a method for using laser pulses to create tiny nanoexplosions that generate shock waves in materials. We use ultrafast IR, Raman, and SFG spectroscopies to study shock wave dynamics in a variety of systems, including explosives, biomaterials, polymers, and self-assembled monolayers.
Nanotechnology. Ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy is used to study nanoenergetic materials that have coherent structures organized on nanometer-length scales. Such materials may be useful as propellants in the future.
Publications
"Hydrogen-bond disruption by vibrational excitations in water", Zhaohui Wang, Yoonsoo Pang and Dana D. Dlott. J. Phys. Chem. A. 117, pp. 3196-3208 (2007).
"Ultrafast Flash Thermal Conductance of Molecular Chains", Zhaohui Wang, Jeffrey A. Carter, Alexei Lagutchev, Yee Kan Koh, Nak-Hyun Seong, David G. Cahill and Dana D. Dlott, Science. 317, pp. 787-790 (2007).
"Vibrational energy with high time and space resolution", Yoonsoo Pang, John C. Deak, Wentao Huang, Alexei Lagutchev, Andrei Pakoulev, James E. Patterson, Timothy D. Sechler, Zhaohui Wang and Dana D. Dlott. Int. Rev. Phys. Chem. 26, pp. 223-248 (2007).
"Thinking big (and small) about energetic materials", Dana D. Dlott, Materials Science and Technology 22, pp. 463-473 (2006).
Awards
- Beckman Research Award
- Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship
- Fellow American Physical Society
- Fellow, Optical Society of America
- 1993 Journal Award (Science) from the Society for Imaging Science and Technology
- Associate, Center for Advanced Study, 1999
- 2001 Charles E. Ives Award from the Society for Imaging Science and Technology
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2005
