CAREER: Standing, Lying, and Sitting: Restructuring Intermolecular Forces in Molecular Monolayers and Freshman Chemistry

普渡大学的Shelley Claridge教授得到了化学学部超分子、大分子和纳米化学项目CAREER奖的支持，致力于开发生物表面化学，以调整技术上重要的层状材料的电子特性和溶解度。石墨烯和其他层状材料有潜力改善从高效太阳能电池到精密生物传感器的应用。控制表面化学是影响电导率和溶解度等特性的有效手段，有助于实现这些目标。然而，在实践中，这种控制很难实现。克拉里奇教授的团队采用了一种受生物启发的方法来解决这两个问题，他们使用了一种自然选择的控制界面化学的构建模块：脂肪分子（脂质）。这个项目的教育部分使用校园餐饮设施作为一年级普通化学学生和校园社区丰富的学习环境。提出的研究使用了一种非传统的自组装策略，该策略基于脂质重新定向为“坐姿”几何形状。该策略提供了从亚纳米到微米尺度的层状材料表面化学的精确空间控制，使纳米尺度的图案，器件和生物应用成为可能。该项目建立了一个框架，设计新的两亲性表面化学基于独立修改的每片两亲性。新的表面化学同时控制配体-衬底电子耦合和配体-溶剂相互作用，这对材料的溶解度和可加工性很重要。对于半导体纳米晶体，严格控制配体化学已被证明是技术应用的关键推动因素；建立对分层材料表面化学的类似控制有望提供类似的好处。该项目的教育部分创造性地利用校园餐饮设施作为一个共享的学习环境，为学生提高他们对蛋白质、脂质和碳水化合物中重要的分子间力的理解，并使用基于结构图问题的公开工具评估他们的理解。

Professor Shelley Claridge of Purdue University is supported through a CAREER award by the Supramolecular, Macromolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the Chemistry Division to develop bioinspired surface chemistry that tailors electronic properties and solubility of technologically important layered materials. Graphene and other layered materials have the potential to improve applications ranging from high-efficiency solar cells to precision biosensors. Controlling surface chemistry represents a useful means of affecting properties such as conductivity and solubility to help reach these aims. However, in practice this control has been difficult to achieve. Professor Claridge's group takes a bioinspired approach to solving both problems using one of nature's chosen building blocks for controlling interface chemistry: fat molecules (lipids). The educational component of this program uses campus dining facilities as context-rich learning environments for first-year general chemistry students and the campus community. The proposed research uses an unconventional self-assembly strategy based on lipids reoriented into a 'sitting' geometry. This strategy provides precise spatial control over layered material surface chemistry from sub-nanometer to micron scales, enabling nanoscale patterning, device and biological applications. The project establishes a framework for designing new amphiphilic surface chemistries based on independent modifications of each piece of the amphiphile. The new surface chemistry simultaneously controls ligand-substrate electronic coupling and ligand-solvent interactions important for material solubility and processability. For semiconductor nanocrystals, rigorous control of ligand chemistry has proven to be a key enabler in technological applications; establishing similar control over layered material surface chemistry is expected to provide similar benefits. The educational component of the project makes creative use of campus dining facilities as a shared learning environment for students to improve their understanding of intermolecular forces important in proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates, and assesses their understanding using a published instrument based on structure-drawing problems.