The Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program supports Professors Joseph W. Lauher and Frank W. Fowler of SUNY at Stony Brook who propose to investigate the 1,4-polymerization of terminal diacetylenes and to develop host-guest systems that will allow the 1,6-enediyne polymerizations. In this project, the researchers will implement strategies that allow the preparation of networks of molecules with precise control of certain supramolecular features such as intermolecular distances, molecular orientations, and crystallographic symmetry. The use of host-guest chemistry and a library of functional groups that form self-complementary hydrogen bonds will achieve this control. This project outlines a strategy to bring about the polymerization of a stack of diacetylene macrocycles to produce nanotubes.
The poly (diacetylenes) and poly (triacetylenes) to be studied by Professors Lauher and Fowler are conjugated polymers with potential applications as electronic and optical materials. The research will be carried out by a group of talented graduate and undergraduate students with female and minority students well represented. Stony Brook has made a major commitment to undergraduate research and aspects of the proposed research will be brought into undergraduate courses. In particular, a laboratory exercise in chemical synthesis directly related to this research project will be integrated into the curriculum.
