The objective of the research component of this work is to prepare novel electroactive C2-symmetric or pseudo C2-symmetric molecules and assemble them into helical electroactive macromolecules. The building blocks are bridged triarylamine derivatives. These molecules exist as atropisomers which can be resolved and studied prior to polymerization. The resolved atropisomers are then functionalized with vinyl groups or boronic esters and polymerized using ADMET chemistry or Suzuki couplings. The helical electroactive polymers produced will be characterized by a variety of physical and spectroscopic methods. Minority students in the SPUR program of the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education will participate in these investigations. An additional educational component of this work is the development of a web based library for the exploration of structures of minerals as well as inorganic and molecular based materials. The site will contain information which should prove useful to students, teachers, and researchers.
With this CAREER award, the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program is supporting the research and educational goals of Dr. Dhandapani Venkataraman of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Dr. Venkataraman will explore the synthesis of electroactive materials. These materials are expected to exhibit circularly polarized luminesence. This means they are expected to emit light when they are excited by other wavelengths of radiation. Such materials may be useful for backlighting in liquid crystal displays (LCDs, i.e. computer screens). Students trained as a result of working on this project will gain experience in materials research as well as supramolecular organic chemistry, hence they will have skills needed by both the specialty chemicals and the computer/materials industries. An additional educational component of this work is the development of a web based library for the exploration of structures of minerals as well as inorganic and molecular based materials. The site will contain information which should prove useful to students, teachers, and researchers.
