This CAREER award by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry Program supports work by Professor Stephen M. Holmes at the University of Kentucky to study molecule-based materials that exhibit tunable magnetic and photomagnetic behaviors. A series of stable and magnetically anisotropic poly(pyrazolyl)borate cyanometalate and alkynyl precursors are prepared and controllably aggregated into a series of magnetic and photomagnetic polynuclear cluster derivatives. The fundamental structure-property relationships assist in the understanding and engineering of tunable magnetic and optical properties, especially for applications in molecule-based memory devices. The Summer Nanoscale Institute and physical property measurement courses for undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students introduce and describe nanoscale science and spectroscopy concepts from a first-principle standpoint. Spectroscopic and magnetic characterizations of user-supplied materials are discussed and tutorial experiments are performed by students using remote access. The newly acquired skills and access to instrumentation enable the timely and cost-effective collection and interpretation of spectroscopic data for research groups at a variety of regional undergraduate institutions. Collaborative participation of regional mentors and the exchange and support of their students at Centre College and Kentucky State University (local minority-serving and Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) institutions) expand nanoscale curriculum development and research activities across the region.
