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

中佛罗里达大学的Uribe-Romo教授和袁教授的合作研究团队正在设计和创造利用阳光合成药物等有机化学品的新型催化剂。这些催化剂还含有丰富的稀土元素，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骨架(MOF)的材料的三维结构特征和具有高吸光能力的分子基团。MOF是高度多孔的结构，这种组合允许在MOF孔内以优异的速率进行形状选择性、光驱动的催化。研究团队强烈强调本科生参与研究，并通过研讨会系列和推广活动，如科学公开演讲工作坊，吸引STEM中代表性不足群体的学生。利用阳光作为合成有机化合物的驱动力是光氧化还原催化领域的重点。这一领域为合成复杂的有机化合物提供了一种很有前途的替代方案，如天然产品和药物，因为可见光是免费的，随时可以获得，并可以增加反应以可持续方式进行所需的能量。中佛罗里达大学的Uribe-Romo教授和袁教授的合作研究团队正在设计和创造利用阳光合成有机化学品的新型催化剂。这些催化剂是结晶和多孔的金属有机骨架(MOF)，由丰富、廉价和可重复使用的元素(如钛和锆)和能够收集特定能量的光并促进催化剂和底物之间的电子转移的有机构建块组成。这项工作是耦合理论、固态合成和有机化学，用于制备和调整MOF催化剂的光吸收能力，以及它们的内部孔结构，以实现在溶液中难以观察到的化学转化途径。这项工作还包括由本科生以及来自STEM代表性不足群体的学生通过一系列研讨会和科学公开演讲讲习班积极参与研究和外联的活动。

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.