Redox-switching and Topology Control in Metallosurfactant Precursors for Supramolecular Films

韦恩州立大学的Cláudio N. Verani教授得到了化学系大分子、超分子和纳米化学项目的支持，进行了含金属两亲体用于氧化还原活性超分子薄膜的研究。这个跨学科项目旨在将过渡金属配合物中的氧化还原驱动开关与表面的分子组织结合起来，并专注于三个目标：(i)基于五坐标M(III)-电活性配体配合物的氧化还原活性两亲化合物和疏水化合物的开发，（ii）基于模块化多金属核的圆盘拓扑氧化还原活性两亲化合物的设计，以及（III）在空气-水界面组装扩展模块化Langmuir膜的新方法的开发。这些目标需要综合的多学科知识，包括合成方法、电化学、光谱、计算、等温压缩和显微镜方法。这项研究是一项努力，将从小型过渡金属配合物中学到的信息转化为促进新材料和设备开发的有用系统。教育部分是基于社会认知方法，并使用统一的主题，如肥皂和简单的实验，以接触到研究生，中学生，以及底特律学校系统的幼儿园。此外，本研究还为无机化学和材料化学的本科生和研究生提供多学科的研究训练。

Professor Cláudio N. Verani at the Wayne State University is supported by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry program of the Division of Chemistry to conduct research on the use of metal-containing amphiphiles for redox-active supramolecular thin films. This interdisciplinary program seeks to merge redox-driven switching in transition-metal coordination complexes with molecular organization at surfaces, and focuses on three aims: (i) the development of redox-active amphiphiles and hydrophobes based on five-coordinate M(III)-complexes with electroactive ligands, (ii) the design of redox-active amphiphiles of discoid topology based on modular multimetallic cores, and (iii) the development of novel approaches to assemble extended modular Langmuir films at the air-water interface. These aims require a comprehensive and multidisciplinary knowledge in synthetic methodologies, electrochemical, spectroscopic, computational, isothermal compression, and microscopy methods. This research is an effort to translate information learned from small transition metal complexes into useful systems that foster the development of new materials and devices. The educational component is based on a socio-cognitive approach and uses unifying topics such as soaps and simpler experiments to reach out for graduate students, middle school students, as well as kindergartners of the Detroit School System. In addition, this research provides multidisciplinary research training for undergraduates and graduate students in inorganic and materials chemistry.