CAREER: New horizons in Coordination and Organometallic Chemistry of Azulene: A Combined Synthetic, Spectroscopic, Structural, Electrochemical, and Theoretical Investigation

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This CAREER award by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Chemistry Program supports research and educational activities of Professor Mikhail Barybin of the Department of Chemistry, University of Kansas to develop rational strategies for incorporating the electronically unusual azulenic motif (a nonbenzenoid aromatic framework involving fused 5- and 7-membered carbon rings) into molecular and supramolecular hybrid metal/organic ensembles. This research undertakes a multifaceted approach to understand chemical reactivity and physical properties of a new class of azulenic derivatives, namely isocyanoazulenes, with the ultimate goal of designing ensembles suitable for developing unique azulene-based liquid crystals and one-dimensional charge transport materials. The development of metallomesogens (i.e., metal-containing liquid crystals) based on the 2,6-azulenic scaffold will deliver new and more cost-efficient platforms for fabricating azulene-containing liquid crystal devices, which are currently of substantial fundamental and commercial interest. The project will also provide new strategies for improving electron delocalization in the hybrid metal-organic systems relevant to applications in molecular electronics and nanotechnology. The integrated educational component of the project is aimed at promoting early involvement of undergraduate students in chemistry research. To this end, an innovative curriculum for freshmen level Honors Chemistry Laboratory that includes community outreach aspects will be developed and implemented. This course will provide opportunities for students to take greater control over the design and implementation of their laboratory investigations and will encourage undergraduates into chemistry research well before their senior year by fostering student engagement and both intellectual and technological skills.