Synthesis and materials properties of polyynes and polyenynes

我们研究的许多方面都涉及为新兴的光子学领域合成富碳材料，这是一种利用光来获取、存储、传输和处理信息的技术。这是一个快速发展的领域，有可能在本世纪完成电子产品在过去所做的事情。光电子革命是由光比电更快、更有效地传递信息的能力推动的。光子学成功的核心是有机分子，这些有机分子可以通过改变光的频率、充当开关或以其他方式改变光的特性来操纵光。该研究计划的一个主要目标是开发新的合成方法，以实现基于有机和有机金属化合物的更有效的材料。这些化合物因其操纵光的能力、低成本的制备和易于加工而特别吸引人。我们的合成方法允许制备一系列具有非线性光学(NLO)、液晶和发光特性的材料。只要稍加修改，这些方法就可以控制、分步合成具有特定结构的共轭“分子线”和大环。此外，我们还致力于合成分子碳同素异构体和富碳纳米结构。通常情况下，材料的性能与其在固态中的顺序密切相关。为此，我们还探索了自组装过程，在这种过程中，可以基于在原子水平上设计的可预测行为，从小积木块构建纳米级结构。所有这些新材料都有望在有机合成和材料科学的界面上提供基础发现的新途径。最后，我们的合成方法的一个有趣的转折也使我们能够探索富碳多因的形成，这种多因自然存在于花园蔬菜(例如胡萝卜)等常见来源中，也存在于细菌培养中。自然产生的聚炔具有广泛的生物学特性，我们目前正在探索其中的一些特性。

Many aspects of our research address the synthesis of carbon-rich materials for the emerging field of photonics, the technology of using light to acquire, store, transmit, and process information. This is a rapidly developing area that has the potential to do for this century what electronics has done in the past. The photonics revolution is driven by the ability of light to carry information faster and more efficiently than electricity. Central to the success of photonics are the organic molecules that can be used in devices to manipulate light by altering its frequency, acting as a switch, or otherwise changing its characteristics.   A primary aim of this research program is the development of new synthetic methods for the realization of more efficient materials based on organic and organometallic compounds.  These compounds are particularly attractive due to their ability to manipulate light, low cost preparation, and facile processability.  Our synthetic methods allow for the preparation of a range of materials designed to feature nonlinear optical (NLO), liquid crystalline, and luminescent properties. With slight modifications, these methods will allow a controlled, step-wise synthesis of conjugated "molecular wires" and macrocycles with defined structure.  Our efforts are also directed toward the synthesis of molecular carbon allotropes and carbon-rich, nanometer-sized structures. It is often true that the performance of a material is intimately linked to its order in the solid-state.  To this end, we also explore self-assembly processes, where nanoscale structures can be constructed from small building blocks based on predictable behavior engineered at the atomic level. All of these new materials promise to provide new avenues of fundamental discovery at the interface of organic synthesis and materials science.   Finally, an interesting twist to our synthetic methods has also allowed for us to explore the formation of carbon-rich polyynes that are found naturally in sources as common as garden vegetables (e.g., carrots) and as obscure as bacterial cultures. Naturally occurring polyynes feature a wide range of biological properties, some of which we are currently exploring.