Dr. Erik T. J. Nibbering

Department Head for femtosecond spectroscopy of molecular systems at the Max Born Institute

Having received his education in the Netherlands, he acquired in 1993 his Ph.D. at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen on the subject on femtosecond optical dephasing and solvation dynamics in liquids. During a postdoctoral stay at the Laboratoire d"Optique Appliqueé − E.N.S.T.A. − École Polytechnique (Palaiseau, France) he investigated nonlinear propagation phenomena of intense femtosecond laser pulses.

Since 1995 he develops ultrafast spectroscopic techniques to resolve microscopic structural information on the dynamics of chemical reactions. In 2007 he acquired his Habilitation degree in experimental physics at the Freie Universität Berlin.

His current research topics

His research efforts have focussed on ultrafast dynamics of hydrogen bonds in liquids and solutions, proton- and electron transfer reactions in the condensed phase, conformational changes of molecular switches, and structural dynamics of biomolecular systems.

He now aims to obtain an even more profound insight into the microscopic mechanisms of proton transport through water. Here he uses photoacids to optically trigger proton transfer to bases in aqueous solutions. An electronic excitation of a photoacid leads to profound increase of acidity (a pKa-jump of about 6-7 units occurs), enabling the generation of protons on ultrafast time scales.

In acid-base neutralization reactions he has found that the protons are typically channelled through water molecules bridging acids and bases on time scales ranging from hundreds of femtoseconds to several tens of picoseconds (10^-13 to 10^-10 s), in a hopping fashion very similar to the von Grotthuss mechanism of proton transport in bulk water. Such studies may contribute to the understanding of proton transport in hydrogen fuel cells and proton pump membrane proteins.

Contact: Dr. Erik T. J. Nibbering, e-mail: nibberin(at)mbi-berlin.de, www.mbi-berlin.de/de/research/projects/2-04/