chemRIXS Science Drivers

Understanding the fundamental processes of photo-chemistry is essential for directed design of photo-catalytic systems for chemical transformation and solar energy conversion that are efficient, chemically selective, robust, and based on earth-abundant elements. The central events of excited state chemistry critically influence the performance of photo-catalysts since stable charge separation, transport, and localization are mediated by strong interaction between electronic and nuclear structure.

New tools that enable direct observation of these central events, on fundamental time scales, and with chemical specificity, will qualitatively advance our understanding of chemical dynamics in photo-catalytic systems, and advance the development of design principles for directing molecular and materials synthesis. 

The high repetition rate of LCLS-II combined with advanced instrumentation for time-resolved resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) will map the energy distribution and evolution of occupied and unoccupied molecular orbitals of model complexes and functional photo-catalysts in operating (liquid) environments.

See documents on first experiments for NEH 2.2