Figure 2 - Nanosecond kinetic traces of the decay of the radical anion in a) MeOAn-6ANI-PI-TEMPO, t CR = 10.5 ns at 710 nm and b) MeOAn-6ANI-NI-TEMPO, t CR = 49.9 ns at 470 nm

Erin Chernick

chernick@northwestern.edu
Office 1033 (Nanofabrication building)
Telephone number: 847-467-4948
Laboratory number: 847-467-6960

Education

Received B.Sc. with specialization in Chemistry from University of Alberta, Canada (05/02) with concentration in physical organic chemistry/organic synthesis.

Undergraduate research was conducted under Professor Rik R. Tykwinski (from 05/00-05/02) in the area of modern acetylene chemistry, cross-conjugated systems, and macrocycles.

I am currently in my fourth year as a Ph.D. student in the Wasielewski group at Northwestern University

Hobbies/interests outside of Science

I am involved in triathlons and train with the Chicago Triathlon Club.

Research

I am currently working in the research area of spintronics. Specifically, I take donor-bridge-acceptor molecules and append stable free radicals (nitrony nitroxides, TEMPO, quinones) along the framework of the molecule. The presence of the unpaired spin of the radical creates a local magnetic field that increases the rate of intersystem crossing between triplet and singlet radical ion pair states (enhanced intersystem crossing, EISC). This can be utilized to modulate the lifetime of the molecule depending on the relative energy levels and recombination rates to the locally excited triplet state and ground state.