The application of diffuse reflectance laser photolysis to study photochemistry at interfaces and in dyed fabrics

Recently we have extended to heterogeneous, opaque and often highly scattering systems, the application of flash photolysis by using diffuse reflected light instead of transmitted light as the analysing source on timescales extending from several seconds to picoseconds. Laser-induced transient spectra and decay kinetics have been observed from a wide variety of samples including fractions of monolayers of organic molecules adsorbed on catalytic metal oxide surfaces, within inorganic and organic microcrystals, from dyed fabrics and from paper pulp. The potential of the technique to study photochemical reactions at interfaces is demonstrated with particular reference to ion-electron recombination on porous silica surfaces and to photochemical and photophysical processes occurring in dyed fabrics.