Prof. Vicki Colvin of Rice University is funded by the NSF Chemistry Division to chair an NSF Workshop on Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry along with co-chairs, Prof. Heather Maynard of UCLA and Prof. Colin Nuckolls of Columbia University. The workshop will be held on June 14th through June 16th, 2010 in Arlington, VA. This workshop will engage a diverse group of scientists to discuss the challenges and opportunities for chemists facing the common challenge of understanding and exploiting chemistry at length scales beyond that relevant for conventional molecules. The workshop will seek to articulate the grand challenges in this area, draw attention towards its promise for game changing technologies, provide valuable educational benchmarks, and identify characterization and instrumentation needs for understanding such complex systems. The workshop discussions will be widely disseminated to the scientific community through a website and workshop report.
MSN as Next-Generation Chemistry MSN research is uniquely poised to be among the next scientific frontiers because of the inherent complexity embodied in molecular systems. Bulk behaviors break down at the length scales between angstrom and nanometers, producing interesting phenomena that we can harness to solve the technological challenges of the 21st century. Figure 1. MSN’s draws on the conventional disciplines of 20th-century chemistry as well as on other disciplines such as engineering, physics, and biology. Although it is a fundamental science, MSN produces systems that are often functional. For this reason, MSN often directly touches on new materials and devices that are important for US innovation and ability to compete in the global economy. Figure 2. The theme of integration unifies MSN. The three communities of macromolecular, supramolecular, and nanoscale chemists will have to collaborate closely to push the horizons of the field. MSN encompasses the close and interactive relationships between the synthesis of novel systems, the characterization of the designed systems to understand their fundamental properties, theory and computational modeling to understand and predict behaviors of these systems, and the development of their function to solve real world problems. Several key areas that are of great importance to American society’s well-being and economic robustness will be influenced by innovations in MSN: (1) Energy: Energy is an enormous problem for the United States. MSN has the ability to significantly affect this important area by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels (e.g. organic photovoltaic devices, for advanced solar harvesting and storage) Figure 3. (2) Health: The future of human health, in terms of diagnosis and treatment, will be noticeably altered by MSN. For instance, nanoparticles and nano- and molecular capsules may act as vehicles for targeted drug delivery. Figure 4. (3) Information: A paradigm shift is needed in information science as we approach the limit of scaling transistors. We believe MSN can take a leading role in developing organic molecular devices. Figure 5. (4) Natural resource and ecosystem utilization, remediation, and recovery: Climate change, pollution, and other human-made factors that affect nature will require technically advanced systems for resource and ecosystem utilization, remediation, and recovery. MSN chemistry will be at the forefront in this important area. For instance, we can develop molecular systems that specifically remove pollutants from water. Figure 6. (5) New materials systems: MSN will create the next generation of materials. For example, molecules can be designed that exhibit dramatic response to wide range of stimuli, such as infectious pathogens, explosives, or heat. However, several challenges face researchers as they push towards a greater understanding of the fundamental principles of MSN systems and their applications. These challenges include: (1) Synthesis: Researchers need to design systems with exquisite molecular-scale precision. In order to build systems with specific functions requires the ability to manipulate molecules with great control. The systems need to be "smart": they have to make decisions based on their environment. (2) Characterization: We need instruments that are non-destructive and provide nanoscale chemical and spatial resolution of molecular structures. The instruments should ideally be able to provide information on multiple levels, such as structural, functional, and spectral. We also need ways to image interfaces that are buried inside complex systems. (3) Function: The molecular systems designed by MSN researchers will have interesting and intricate properties that will depend on the components in the system. In order to design and synthesize systems, we have to understand and be able to predict the fundamentals of assembly processes at all length scales (1-100 nm). Informatics to model and predict the functional properties of structures in silico will be necessary. (4) Infrastructure needs: There is an urgent need to develop both large and small-scale research facilities that will allow investigators to delve more deeply into the complexity of MSN systems. Of most importance are large cooperative facilities that would be central locations for the synthesis, characterization, and development of various kinds of materials. Emerging breakthroughs in understanding the fundamental phenomena that make up the complexity of systems on the molecular scale make this an exciting time for chemical research. As we learn more about the operating principles of molecules on length scales from angstroms to millimeters, we will become more adept at manipulating molecules into designer systems that will have interesting properties targeted for specific real-world applications. We anticipate MSN will have a profound influence on society and the global economy in the future. However, in order for that influence to become reality, we must attract the best and brightest young investigators to the field. Because of its interdisciplinary nature, MSN research will bring together scientists of different expertise to work on innovations. These innovations and breakthroughs will give the United States a competitive advantage in the global marketplace as it produces the next generation of science and technologies.
