New frontiers in coordination chemistry: designing molecules and coordination polymer materials with novel properties

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This coordination chemistry research program targets the synthesis, properties and applications of metal-containing molecules, focusing on (a) metal-containing coordination polymers (CP) as advanced materials and (b) transition-metal and actinide compounds with unpaired electrons. At the heart of these studies is the requirement to understand how to control structure, properties and reactivity of metal complexes and CP via the choice of metals and supporting ligands. For example, the ability to control 3-D supramolecular structures is essential to designing materials with useful birefringent, porous or magnetic properties, and hence the questions of how to selectively generate CP with a particular composition, shape or topology are critically important. Developing new magnetic materials also requires an understanding of fundamental magnetic interactions. Determining the factors stabilizing different metal spin and oxidation states and how these influence the reactivity of metal compounds with unpaired electrons is necessary in order to design molecules as catalysts for a range of chemical processes. To address these key issues, this research program exploits our established expertise in controlling structural dimensionality and 3-D geometry to design CP materials with unusual vapochromic, luminescent, birefringent, magnetic, thermal expansion and other properties. In general, an increased fundamental understanding of structure-property relationships will lead to the rational design of useful materials. Our patented ammonia sensor material, highly birefringent optical materials and recent illustration of CP photolithography indicates the significance and viability of this global approach. The research program will also probe the impact of unpaired electrons on transition-metal and actinide amido-complex reactivity and stability, pushing the knowledge boundaries of organometallic chemistry by revealing unusual structures, magnetism and reactivity. It may also identify catalysts for redox, small-molecule activation and polymerization reactivity. This interdisciplinary research program also provides a great deal of HQP training.