Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Unlike hard materials composed of strongly bonded atoms, soft materials built by molecular association are typically transparent, flexible, light, and processable by simple techniques of melting, dissolution, and evaporation. As a result, molecular materials play crucial roles in technology and are beginning to replacing classical hard materials in key areas, such as electronics. However, devising sophisticated soft materials for such uses requires deeper understanding of rules governing how molecules associate and behave collectively in materials. Exploring these areas is a top priority of modern science, and major insights will yield breakthroughs in technology. Previous support provided by the Canada Research Chair in Molecular Materials has let our group master multidisciplinary skills needed to study all aspects of molecular organization and to produce useful new soft materials by design. We are now in a unique position to lead international efforts to create a new generation of advanced molecular materials.