Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The properties of materials depends not only on the nature of the constituent molecules, but also on the way that these molecules are organized and interact with each other. Therefore, the design of new materials with specific desired properties requires control of both molecular structure and the self-assembly of these molecules. Through synthetic chemistry, we can control molecular properties by adding specific functional groups, as well as the organization of these molecules by incorporating units that direct molecular self-assembly. The proposed research focuses on the design and synthesis of new materials by making rigid molecular building blocks that will assemble themselves in predictable ways, ultimately allowing us to control the properties of the material. Specifically, this research will focus on two areas. The first goal is the synthesis of rigid, three-dimensional building blocks that can assemble through chemical bonds to form solid three-dimensional networks with very small channels and pores. Materials of this type have potential applications in gas storage (which could be used to store hydrogen for use as a fuel in vehicles), separation of molecules based on size, and catalyzing chemical reactions. The second area is the preparation of flat, disk-shaped molecules that have a tendency to stack into columns. These materials exhibit electronic properties such as semiconductivity or photoconductivity that may make them useful in devices such as photovoltaic solar cells, light emitting diodes for displays, and thin film transistors.