In this project funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Kim Dunbar of the Texas A&M University will seek to understand the structural and composition parameters that lead to the coexistence of molecular magnetism and conductivity in the same extended framework material. The approach is to create binary extended solids of transition metal and lanthanide cations or complexes with radical anions of tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) and its perfluoro(TCNQF4), TCNQCl2 and TCNQBr2 analogs. The structures of the resulting compounds will be determined and correlated with their magnetic and conductive properties. The broader impacts involve multidisciplinary training of students, exposure of the students to international collaboration, judging local science fair competitions, setting up hands-on exhibits at the Brazos Valley Children's Museum, and launching the magnetism website from the prior review period.
This work will expand the repertoire of chemistry that can be used to create magnetic and conducting materials starting with molecular components. The results of these studies could have many important long term impacts on a variety of applications in which magnetic materials are important, including non-volatile memory and spintronics.
The overarching goal of this project was the study of hybrid inorganic/organic materials at the interface of molecular magnets and conductors. During the three years of the project we prepared and characterized many compounds with unusual properties including the first examples of such materials from the main group elements in the periodic table. The data obtained from this project revealed remarkable subtlety in the properties of bonary metal-organic radical materials, a topic that is of high interest for applications in memory and electronic devices, but which is still relatively undeveloped. Compounds were prepared that exhibit unusual structures as well as unprecedented properties including metallic behavior of a coordination compound based on manganese ions connected together by the simple organic ligand 4,4'-bipyridine and organocyanide radicals of tetracyanoquinodimethane. This multidisciplinary project provided excellent training including hands-on experience in organic and inorganic synthesis, as well as advanced experimental techniques in chemistry and physics. Many opportunities were provided for students to broaden their education through travel and interactions with visitors. The PI hosted numerous collaborators and other experts in molecular materials research in her laboratories and the students presented their work in informal discussions as well as at conferences. Two Hispanic students (one female), a female visiting Ph.D. student from China, and a female undergraduate (now in the US Air Force) worked on the project; two have been active in SACNAS. The PI obtained funds in 2012 from the local ACS section to support the creation of a NOBCChE chapter at Texas A&M which was inducted at the Fall NOBCChE meeting in 2012. the PI, Dunbar, serves as a faculty co-advisor. The PI also serves as a regional Mentor for the ACS Minority Scholars Program at TAMU. During the period of the grant the PI graduated 7 Ph.D. students (three female) and 1 M.S. female student and mentored a total of 19 graduate students, 12 postdoctoral/visiting scholars and 4 undergraduates of which 10 were women and three were minorities. Nine publications on the topic of the project were piublished in peer-reviewed journals. The PI delivered 30 invited lectures at Universities, workshops and conferences from 2010-2012. In her capacity as an Associate Editor for Inorganic Chemistry the PI organized a Virtual Issue on "Quantum Molecular Magnets" that was published in 2012 which relates to the NSF-funded research. The PI actively encourages outreach activities with the entire Dunbar group participating in the annual Texas A&M University Chemistry Open House which hosts over 1000 local school children and their parents and teachers. Other examples of service and outreach include acting as judges for Science Fairs and coaches for Science Olympiad, and visits to local elementary schools to perform demonstrations.
