The opposing activities of phosphatases and kinases determine the phosphorylation status of proteins, yet kinases have received disproportionate attention in studies of cellular processes, with the roles of phosphatases remaining less understood. This dissertation describes the use of self-assembled monolayer laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SAMDI-MS) together with peptide arrays to...
Two-dimensional (2D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a class of crystalline polymer networks that polymerize and crystallize into layered structures, characterized by their atomically precise structure, permanent porosity and high modularity. Imine-linked COFs are one of the most important and promising classes of macromolecular sheets, which form by the condensation...
Organic photovoltaics offer an opportunity to make solar cells more affordable and widely accessible using cheap, solution-processable light-absorbing layers. In order to realize new technologies, a fundamental understanding of organic chromophore photophysics is required to overcome efficiency limitations. Throughout this doctoral work, I investigated the kinetic and physical characteristics of...
Molecular-oriented single-site heterogeneous catalysis is a powerful approach to address the long-lasting challenge of the structure-activity relationship in catalysis, as it allows molecular level control of the catalytic centers and thus the elucidation of reaction mechanisms. In this dissertation, single-site molybdenum-dioxo species have been immobilized on carbon supports, i.e. activated...
Over the past 15 years, there have been significant developments in expanding the singlet fission (SF) library and understanding the SF mechanism. SF has been a topic of interest in recent years due to its potential applications in organic photovoltaics. During SF, a singlet exciton energetically down-converts into two triplet...
Part I: Design of Photo-Responsive Molecules towards Biomedical ApplicationsThe use of light to control systems provides numerous advantages such as spatiotemporal precision, non-invasive penetration, and precise energy input. Specifically, molecules that undergo photoinduced cleavage, photoremovable protecting groups (PPGs) have emerged as an active area of research due to their broad...
The idea that structure determines the properties of a material is a powerful concept in chemistry and in all fields in which chemistry is important, including engineering, medicine, and materials science. My research aims to better understand the structure-property relationships of a class of materials known as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)....
This work examines important heterogeneous processes of organic molecules on surfaces, in the contexts of atmospheric and indoor environments. In large forest ecosystems, biogenic secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) constitute a dominant fraction of organic particulate matter in the atmosphere. The formation of SOAs starts from the emission of volatile organic...
The effective capture and detoxification of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) is a pressing need in the modern world. Materials are needed for both the destruction of weapon stockpiles and personal protection via fabric coatings or respirators. Attractive candidates for these applications include metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) – highly crystalline materials composed...
Molecular self-assembly is a process in which molecules spontaneously form ordered aggregates, the process of which is important in the natural world, considering those ordered systems and complex architectures contained in a living cell. The goal of chemists is to design simple molecules or chemical systems that can undergo molecular...