Engineering New Molecular Materials

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My research group and I are broadly interested in the science and technology of molecular materials. We are learning how the structures and properties of such materials depend on the individual molecules from which they are built, and we are using this understanding to create valuable new materials by design. This work is important because advanced materials used in future technology must have structures and properties controlled with nanometric precision. Progress in this area requires a multidisciplinary approach, using tools and understanding taken from many areas of science. Collectively, our group has mastered these skills in the course of its recent work. Individual students trained in the group develop a strong core of skills, but they also learn how to cross the conventional boundaries of disciplines, work in other laboratories, and develop an ability to speak and write the languages of different fields.***Our previous contributions have included (1) the development of modular approaches to constructing new predictably ordered materials; (2) the use of modular construction to produce porous molecular solids; (3) integrated studies of 2D and 3D molecular organization on surfaces and in crystals to reveal underlying patterns of behavior; (4) exploration of the "dark side of crystal engineering" to find ways to inhibit crystallization; (5) strategies for constructing crystalline covalently-bonded molecular materials analogous to diamond and graphite; and (6) controlling molecular organization in thin films to improve optoelectronic devices such as solar cells.***This work puts us in a strong position to undertake an ambitious program of research focusing on the following elements:*******(1) Engineering crystalline polymers with useful properties such as porosity and conductivity****(2) Developing a deeper understanding of the mechanism of crystallization***(3) Making doped molecular materials in which defects are introduced by design****(4) Using 2D adsorption on surfaces to manipulate 3D crystallization***(5) Controlling molecular organization in thin films to enhance the performance of optoelectronic devices such as photovoltaic cells*******The proposed program promises to lead to fundamental scientific discoveries and to valuable new technology. In addition, it will help the group strengthen its position of international leadership in the field of molecular materials, and it will enhance the training of highly skilled young researchers by allowing them to work in a dynamic and multidisciplinary field with many opportunities to make advances in basic and applied science.***