CAREER: The Design, Synthesis and Study of Electro-active Materials Based on Stacked Polyfluorens

马奎特大学化学系的Rajendra Rathore教授在有机和大分子化学项目的支持下进行研究，将合成有机化学、分子识别、材料科学的目的是研究和开发新的协面堆叠苯类结构，这些结构可以潜在地用于开发各种电子和光电子器件，在新兴的纳米技术领域。在他的提案中，他概述了设计和合成各种具有多种氧化还原活性发色团的新型协面堆叠苯类结构，用于制备实际使用的（高级）纳米材料。其中一些例子包括：用于自组装的适当定制的氧化还原活性多芳烃，协面堆叠（聚）二苯乙烯烃，以及用于制备线状材料的（聚）芴衍生物。他将演示各种共价连接的多色分子与协面堆叠的苯间隔物的功能，以潜在地利用分子线的设计和构建，这将在分子电子学领域找到广泛的应用。利用包括时间分辨光谱在内的各种光谱技术，对所提出的新分子进行研究，将扩大对通过协面堆叠的苯类间隔剂连接的各种有机氧化还原中心之间的穿过空间和穿过键电子相互作用性质的理解。在有机和大分子化学项目的支持下，Rathore教授将设计和合成新的协面堆叠苯类结构。这是一个重要的步骤，将允许开发各种新的分子和超分子纳米结构，以实现远距离和高量子效率的光诱导电荷分离。他的工作将为未来的研究带来令人兴奋的挑战。此外，这些通过协面堆叠p-体系的电子传输的基础研究也将与通过p-堆叠碱基在DNA中观察到的（有争议的）电子传输现象的理解高度相关。最终，有机分子的易于制造和在制备这些分子组合时的高度合成灵活性将使它们能够随时进行修饰并最终融入聚合物和薄膜中，从而在纳米技术领域中具有潜在的实际应用。最后，本文提出的研究还将促进多学科研究项目，为大学内的本科生和研究生提供高质量的培训和研究设施。

Professor Rajendra Rathore of the Department of Chemistry at Marquette University is supported by the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program to perform research that integrates the disciplines of synthetic organic chemistry, molecular recognition, and material science with the aim of studying and exploiting new cofacially-stacked benzenoid structures that can be potentially utilized for the development of various electronic and optoelectronic devices in the emerging field of nanotechnology. In his proposal, he has outlined the design and synthesis of a variety of new cofacially-stacked benzenoid structures bearing multiple redox-active chromophores for the preparation of (advanced) nanomaterials for practical usage. Some of the examples include: suitably tailored redox-active polyaromatic hydrocarbons for self assembly, cofacially-stacked (poly)stilbenoid hydrocarbons, and (poly)fluorene derivatives for the preparation of wire-like materials. He will demonstrate the functioning of various covalently linked polychromophoric molecules with cofacially-stacked benzenoid spacers for the potential utilization for the design and construction of molecular wires that will find widespread applications in the area of molecular electronics. The study of the proposed novel molecules, using various spectroscopic techniques including time-resolved spectroscopy, will expand the understanding of the nature of through-space and through-bond electronic interactions between various organic redox centers linked via cofacially-stacked benzenoid spacers. With the support of the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program, Professor Rathore will design and synthesize new cofacially-stacked benzenoid structures. This is an important step that will allow the development of a variety of new molecular and supramolecular nanostructures in order to achieve photoinduced charge separation over long distances and with high quantum efficiency. His work will create exciting challenges for future research. Moreover, these fundamental studies of the electron transport through cofacially-stacked p-systems will also be highly relevant to the understanding of the (controversial) electron-transport phenomenon observed in DNA through p-stacked bases. Ultimately, the easy fabrication of organic molecules and the high degree of synthetic flexibility in the preparation of these molecular assemblies will allow their ready modification and eventual incorporation into polymers and thin films for potential practical applications in the field of nanotechnology. Finally, the research proposed herein will also promote multidisciplinary research programs that offer high quality training and research facilities for both undergraduate and graduate students within the university.