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Overview
Faculty
Majors
Courses
Instrumentation
Opportunities
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Professional and Personal Interests
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Dr. Walhout's current reseach interest lies in the area of polyelectrolyte
multilayer thin films (PMLs). These films are created by a relatively
new self-assembly technique whereby alternating layers of positively
and negatively charged polyelectrolytes are deposited onto a
substrate from solution. Many variations on this versatile synthetic
technique can be employed, including adsorbing charged small
molecules such as dyes into the thin film structure or creating
discrete layers of non-charged conducting polymers by assembling
a layer of the charged monomers followed by in situ polymerization.
Several projects related to fundamental properties of PMLs are
underway. One project involves investigating whether a glass
transition temperature can be found for typical PMLs using phase-modulated
ellipsometry to track thickness changes as a function of temperature.
Other projects relate to measuring the rotational and translational
diffusion of small charged molecules embedded in the thin films
using FRAP methods (fluorescence recovery after photobleaching).
These diffusion measurements will be useful for PML applications
that involve small molecules, but they are also useful on a
more fundamental level as a probe of the polymer dynamics in
the thin film. Lastly, a project has just started in which electron
transfer dynamics will be examined between donor and acceptor
layers within a PML. This study will be undertaken using transient
absorption and time-correlated single photon counting techniques
employing a Ti:sapphire ultrafast laser.
This research combines Dr. Walhout's interest in spectroscopy
and polymers. His ultrafast thesis work at Minnesota under Paul
Barbara was titled "Ultrafast Studies of Radical Anions
in Solution." This was followed a post-doctoral appointment
at the University of Wisconsin working with Mark Ediger in the
area of polymer dynamics.
Dr. Walhout married his wife Jenna in 1992 and they now have
three children. Both are Wheaton alums and enjoy being back
in the Chicagoland area where they are close to their kids'
four grandparents and 2 great-grandparents. They are active
in their local church where Dr. Walhout sings in the choir.
He also enjoys watching and playing many sports and is happy
to be close to the Chicago sports teams again after too long
an exposure to Vikings and Packers fans.
| Courses
Taught |
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- General Chemistry
- Physical Chemistry
I and II
- Methods in Physical
Chemistry
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Membership in Professional Societies
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- American
Chemical Society
- Midwest Association
of Chemistry Teachers at Liberal Arts Colleges (MACTLAC)
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Research
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- Individual:
- With Students:
| Papers
Published and/or Presented |
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(student coauthors in bold)
- Burden, D.L., Walhout, P.K., Elliott, J.T, Chandler, E.L.,
Scharf, R.G., Culbertson, M.J.,
Stults, D.A., Rupp, E.L.,
Poppen, S.D., “Measuring Diffusion in Nanoscale
Environments with Single-Molecule Confocal Fluorescence
Microscopy,” Spectroscopy Letters, in press.
- Yokoyama, K.,
Silva, C., Son, D., Walhout, P.K., Barbara, P.F., 1998.
Detailed Investigation of the Femtosecond Pump-Probe Spectroscopy
of the Hydrated Electron. J. Phys. Chem. A 102: 6957.
- Silva, C.,
Walhout, P.K., Reid, P.J., Barbara, P.F. 1998. Detailed
Investigations of the Pump-Probe Spectroscopy of the Equilibrated
Solvated Electron in Alcohols. J. Phys. Chem. A 102:
5701.
- Silva, C.,
Walhout, P.K., Yokoyama, K., Barbara, P.F., 1998. Femtosecond
Solvation Dynamics of the Hydrated Electron. Phys. Rev.
Lett. 80: 1086.
- Walhout, P.K.,
Silva, C., Barbara, P.F., 1996. Ultrafast Study of the Photodissociation
and Recombination of Aqueous O3-. J. Phys. Chem.
100: 5188.
- Walhout, P.K.,
Alfano, J.C., Thakur, K.A.M., Barbara, P.F.J. 1995. Ultrafast
Experiments on the Photodissociation, Recombination, and
Vibrational Relaxation of I2-: Role of Solvent-Induced Solute
Charge Flow. J. Phys. Chem. 99: 7568.
- Walhout, P.K.,
Alfano, J.C., Kimura, Y., Silva, C., Reid, P.J., Barbara,
P.F., 1995. Direct pump/probe spectroscopy of the near-IR
band of the solvated electron in alcohols. Chem. Phys.
Lett. 232: 135.
- Reid, P.J.,
Silva, C, Walhout, P.K., Barbara, P.F., 1994. Femtosecond
absorption anisotropy of the aqueous solvated electron.
Chem. Phys. Lett. 228: 658.
- Kimura, Y, Alfano,
J.C., Walhout, P.K., Barbara, P.F., 1994. Ultrafast Transient-Absorption
Spectroscopy of the Solvated Electron in Water. J. Phys.
Chem. 98: 3450.
- Alfano, J.C.,
Kimura, Y., Walhout, P.K., Barbara, P.F., 1993. Photodissociation
and vibrational relaxation of I2- in water, ethanol, and
ethanol-d1. Chem. Phys. 175: 147.
- Alfano, J.C.,
Walhout, P.K., Kimura, Y., Barbara, P.F., 1993. Ultrafast
transient-absorption spectroscopy of the aqueous solvated
electron. J. Chem. Phys. 98: 5996.
Faculty continued: Dr. Timothy
Wilkinson
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