This RUI award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Chemistry program supports the work of Professor Greg Grant at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The research focuses on a systematic investigation of the preparation of two- and three-dimensional metallosupramolecular complexes formed by transition metal mediated self-assembly. The project is specifically interested in using vertices based upon transition metal complexes with thiacrown ligands as subunits to direct the self-assembly of the supramolecular structure. The project is preparing two-dimensional structures such as squares and hexagons as well as proceeding to cubic three-dimensional structures. In particular, most platinum group metal complexes with these ligands show a rich electrochemical activity which can then be built into the polygons and polyhedra. Multiple oxidation states for the metal ions of the molecular square or cube can be accessed, enabling the overall charge of the square or cube to be fine-tuned. Controlling the overall charge of the self-assembled material has important consequences for its utilization in storage applications. The project has an ideal role in the education and training of young chemists to be future professionals. A two-year postdoctoral position modeled after the Dreyfus Foundation's Scholar/Fellow Program for Undergraduate Institutions is included. The postdoctoral Fellow is involved not only in the research project, but also in part-time teaching and research activities involving the undergraduate students. Nine undergraduate researchers including two at other undergraduate institutions, Covenant College and the College of St. Catherine, will be involved in the project. The PI, the postdoctoral Fellow, and the undergraduate students supported by the NSF RUI Grant are all members of a research team engaged in the study of these metallosupramolecular complexes. Self-assembled structures such as these are important in applications such as artificial molecular machines, strategic gas storage, heterogeneous catalysis, and an array of host-guest interactions. The ability of two-dimensional and three-dimensional metal organic networks, which can form porous, yet crystalline solids, has been exploited in fields such as hydrogen and methane storage.
