Many chemical transformations rely on catalysts to enhance the rate of a reaction or to favor formation of a desired product over an undesired product. The manufacturing costs of chemicals, polymers, and materials can be significantly reduced by employing efficient catalytic processes. A significant challenge in designing new catalysts, however, is that many catalysts have complicated structures and are difficult to synthesize. The Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the Division of Chemistry supports Professor Michael Pluth of the University of Oregon to develop novel approaches to preparing catalysts of complex structures via self-assembly of simple subunits and to investigate how the activities of these catalysts can be modulated. This research aims to provide new insights into how catalysts can be activated or deactivated on-demand. Complementing the scientific goals of this research, the project helps to prepare a workforce for industry and academia by providing research training to graduate students. It also promotes STEM education by facilitating research experiences for undergraduate students and by expanding outreach activities with local middle- and high schools.
Prof. Pluth's research group designs and synthesizes ligands that can self-assemble into active catalysts after binding a "guest" molecule. His research aims to provide new basic knowledge on how guest molecules can transmit information to the catalyst upon binding and enable allosteric regulation of supramolecular catalysis. Of particular interest is the investigation of chirality transfer between guest and host to uncover new insights into chiral induction through non-covalent interactions. To demonstrate chirality transfer between guest and the catalyst, his research group uses chiral guests as chiral co-factors to enable enantioselective self-assembled catalysts and studies the impact of binding on the rate and selectivity of platinum- and rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation reactions.
