Recent Advances in Photokinetics

Photoconversion and light driven reactive systems make, nowadays, part of countless technological and industrial processes, more than it has ever been during the last 120 years. Knowing the features and parameters governing the photoreaction(s) in play, is of prime importance to understanding and control of these processes. In general, such parameters and features are obtained by kinetic investigation. Unlike chemical kinetics, which is dedicated to thermally controlled reactions, the kinetics of photoreactions (which is dubbed photokinetics) has known very little progress over the years. So much so that this field still today lacks both a definite agreement on reaction orders that should characterize photoreactions, and/or formally established integrated rate-laws for the kinetic traces. Addressing some of these gaps and contributing to bring some answers for such problems, constitutes the purpose of this research topic.

The present research topic would aim at exploring the many ways that have or could be developed in this research area, to allow a better description of photokinetic systems and the reliable measurement of reaction features. Conceptual, theoretical and applied procedures are all welcome to this topic. Some of the subtopics that might be considered here, are given below without being an exhaustive list of other important aspect of this subject; (i) approaches to both describe kinetic data (reaction and/or reactive species time-traces), and effective ways for their treatment, (ii) methods and procedures for the determination of photochemical quantum yields of reaction steps, (iii) evidence of quantum yield variation with the excitation wavelength, (iv) explanation of and any venues formalizing such a quantum yield variability, (v) photokinetic procedures to perform actinometry with methodologies of high precision, simple accessibility for all possible users, and convenience/ease of implement. These aspects would contribute, as an ultimate goal of the research topic, to standardize some of the tools and metrics useful for photokinetic investigation. We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to, photokinetics of:
• Photochromic materials
• Pharmaceuticals and medicinal drugs
• Photo-phytomolecules
• Nanosystems
• Photoenergy materials
• Green chemistry processes

Keywords: Photoreaction, Photokinetics, Quantum yield, Actinometry, Photoreaction order, Light-intensity dependance

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.