SusChEM: Earth Abundant Metal-Organic Frameworks for Heterogeneous Visible-Light Organic Photoredox Catalysis

中佛罗里达大学Uribe-Romo教授和Yuan教授的合作研究小组正在设计和制造新的催化剂，利用阳光合成有机化学物质，如药物。这些催化剂还含有丰富的地球元素，易于回收和再利用，因此是可持续的。因此，它们是依赖稀有和昂贵金属的传统催化剂的潜在替代品。这些催化剂结合了一类被称为金属有机框架（MOFs）的材料的三维结构特征和具有高光吸收能力的分子基团。MOF是一种高度多孔的结构，这种组合允许在MOF孔内以优越的速率进行形状选择、光驱动催化。研究团队强烈强调本科生参与研究，并通过系列研讨会和科学公开演讲讲习班等外展活动吸引STEM中代表性不足群体的学生。利用太阳光作为动力合成有机化合物是光氧化还原催化领域的研究热点。这一领域为合成复杂的有机化合物（如天然产物和药物）提供了一个很有前途的选择，因为可见光是免费的，容易获得的，并且可以为反应以可持续的方式进行提供所需的能量。中佛罗里达大学Uribe-Romo教授和Yuan教授的合作研究团队正在设计和制造利用阳光合成有机化学物质的新型催化剂。这些催化剂是晶体和多孔金属有机框架（MOFs），由丰富，廉价和可重复使用的元素（例如钛和锆）和有机构建块组成，能够收集特定能量的光并促进催化剂和衬底之间的电子转移。这项工作是通过耦合理论、固态合成和有机化学来制备和调整MOF催化剂，以调整它们的吸光能力，以及它们的内部孔结构，以实现在溶液中很难观察到的化学转化途径。这项工作还包括本科生积极参与研究和外联活动，以及通过系列研讨会和科学公开演讲讲习班，让STEM中代表性不足群体的学生积极参与研究和外联活动。

The collaborative research team of Professors Uribe-Romo and Yuan at the University of Central Florida is designing and creating new catalysts that use sunlight to synthesize organic chemicals such as pharmaceuticals. These catalysts also contain earth-abundant elements, are easy to recover and reuse, and are thus sustainable. As a result, they are potential replacements for traditional catalysts that rely on rare and expensive metals. These catalysts combine the three-dimensional structural features characteristic of a class of materials known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with molecular groups with high light absorption ability. MOFs are highly porous structures, and this combination allows for shape-selective, light-driven catalysis at superior rates within the MOF pores. The research team is strongly emphasizing undergraduate participation in research, and is also engaging students from underrepresented groups in STEM through seminar series and outreach activities such as scientific public speaking workshops.The use of sunlight as the driving force in the synthesis of organic compounds is the focus of the field of Photoredox Catalysis. This field offers a promising alternative for synthesis of complex organic compounds, such as natural products and pharmaceuticals, because visible sunlight is free, readily available, and can add the energy needed for reactions to proceed in a sustainable manner. The collaborative research team of Professors Uribe-Romo and Yuan at the University of Central Florida is designing and creating new catalysts that use sunlight to synthesize organic chemicals. These catalysts are crystalline and porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) composed of elements that are abundant, inexpensive and reusable (e.g., titanium and zirconium) and organic building blocks that are able to harvest light of specific energies and promote transfer of electrons between the catalysts and substrates. This work is coupling theory, solid-state synthesis, and organic chemistry for the preparation and tuning of the MOF catalysts to adjust their light-absorbing ability, as well as their internal pore structures to achieve pathways in chemical transformations that are challenging to observe in solution. This work is also including activities for the active participation in research and outreach by undergraduate students, and by students from underrepresented groups in STEM through seminar series and scientific public speaking workshops.