Organic Photovoltaic (OPV) materials are of great interest as a low-cost material the purposes of achieving wide spread, solar energy adoption. However, a limiting factor in materials development is the ability to proactively determine the active layer thin film morphology that largely informs device performance. Thus, understanding how materials design...
The projected increase in the use of nanomaterials raises concerns about adverse impacts new technologies utilizing these materials may have on the environment. These concerns can be addressed from a chemical perspective by studying how emerging nanomaterials interact with biological systems. Fundamentally, the key interactions for nanomaterial uptake into a...
Noncentrosymmetry (NCS) is a requirement for many properties such as piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity, and nonlinear optical activity like second harmonic generation which are desirable for a variety of commercial applications. One method which has been employed to successfully synthesize NCS compounds utilizes acentric anionic groups, such as oxyfluoride metal complexes, as...
High-pressure and -temperature synthesis is a powerful tool for synthesizing new intermetallic compounds that cannot be formed using traditional solid-state syntheses. Such metastable compounds can exhibit unrivaled structural complexity, unique bonding, and unusual properties. In the simplest case, there are many binary systems in which no intermetallic compounds are known....
The diverse reactivity patterns, unique structural features imparted by the cumulated double bonds, and possibility of axial chirality have garnered allenes considerable attention in organic synthesis. Numerous methods have been described in the literature to afford optically active allenes starting from chiral starting materials, yet catalytic and asymmetric methods to...
The discovery and tailoring of new useful organic molecules for applications such as medicine and materials science is highly driven by meaningful developments in chemical methodology, and some of the most impactful advances have invoked catalysis to increase efficiency and specificity. N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have continuously occupied a prominent space...
The expanding use of nanomaterials in consumer products challenges scientists to understand the impact of these materials before their inevitable release into the environment. In the same way that the widespread use of DDT and asbestos has caused unforeseen negative impacts on both the environment and on human health, the...
Photovoltaic technology can help meet the exploding world energy demand in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) are especially attractive because they can be constructed with low-cost organic content and are amenable to high-throughput large-scale fabrication techniques. Synthetic modification of organic semiconductors has paved way for the...
My research interests, which span organic, inorganic, physical and biochemistry, have focused broadly on photo-, magneto- and redox-active molecules, especially those with potential applications in organic photovoltaics, spintronics and electronics. My research under the joint supervision of Professor Wasielewski and Professor Fraser Stoddart has concentrated upon understanding electronic and magnetic...
Starting materials for natural products, ideally synthesized using low-cost, highly active and selective catalysts, are of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry. Relevant reactions include the synthesis of 1,2-dihydropyridines, reduction of ketones/aldehydes, cleavage of esters, and reduction of amides to amines. Hydroelementation is an important catalytic process that involves H-E...