Sunscreens are aimed at providing protection from solar UV radiation. However, the same mechanism that underlies this protection (absorption of UV radiation) is also responsible for their light-induced adverse effects. Here, high-resolution spectroscopic methods are applied to one of the most commonly used sunscreen chromophores to study the excited-state dynamics that determine the delicate balance between favorable and adverse effects. In contrast to common belief, we find that excitation to the "bright" ππ* state does not directly lead to repopulation of the electronic ground state. Instead, internal conversion to another electronically excited state identified as the "dark" nπ* state is a major decay pathway that impedes fast energy dissipation. Microsolvation studies of sunscreen chromophores with water demonstrate that under such conditions, this bottleneck is no longer present. These observations could be a first step toward the development of sunscreens with improved photochemical properties. © 2014 American Chemical Society.
CITATION STYLE
Tan, E. M. M., Hilbers, M., & Buma, W. J. (2014). Excited-state dynamics of isolated and microsolvated cinnamate-based UV-B sunscreens. Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 5(14), 2464–2468. https://doi.org/10.1021/jz501140b
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