Tailoring Enantiospecific Properties of Chiral Metal Nanoclusters on Chiral Metal Oxides

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)资助的。佛罗里达大学的Aravind R.Asthagiri教授和Jason Weaver教授在化学系ASC计划的支持下，开发了一种在手性金属氧化物表面生长手性金属纳米结构的新方法，该方法可以定制以实现最佳的对映选择性。中心假设是金属可以沉积在手性金属氧化物表面上，从而获得比可比手性金属表面具有更强的对映选择性的手性金属纳米结构。该研究计划将使用扫描隧道显微镜(STM)、程序升温脱附(TPD)和其他表面分析方法的超高真空(UHV)实验与DFT计算相结合，研究金属纳米结构形态、反应性和对映体专一性随金属氧化物衬底类型和取向的变化。小分子的反应性和对映体选择性的变化将通过程序升温脱附来探测。这项拟议的工作如果成功，将是第一次展示高比表面积手性金属纳米结构的生长。这种材料将比现有的手性金属表面更具可行性，用于手性药物的对映化和其他手性应用，因为它们将提供更高的性能，更有效地利用金属。研究生将接受理论和实验表面技术方面的培训，本科生和高中生将通过佛罗里达大学的REU计划接触到先进的研究方法。

"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)." Professors Aravind R. Asthagiri and Jason Weaver of the University of Florida are supported by the ASC Program in the Division of Chemistry to develop a new approach to grow chiral metal nanostructures on chiral metal oxide surfaces that can be tailored for optimal enantioselectivity. The central hypothesis is that metals can be deposited on chiral metal oxide surfaces to obtain chiral metal nanostructures with enhanced enantioselectivity over comparable chiral metal surfaces. The research plan will integrate ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) experiments, using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), and other surface analytical methods, with DFT calculations to study variations in the metal nanostructure morphology, reactivity, and enantiospecificity as a function of metal oxide substrate type and orientation. Changes in reactivity and enantioselectivity will be probed with small molecules using temperature programmed desorption. The proposed work, if successful, will be the first demonstration of the growth of high surface area chiral metal nanostructures. Such materials would be more viable than existing chiral metal surfaces for enantiopurification of chiral drugs and other chiral applications, since they would offer enhanced performance with more efficient use of the metal. Graduate students will be trained in theoretical and experimental surface techniques, and undergraduate and high school students will be exposed to advanced research methodologies through the University of Florida's REU Program.