Picosecond Isomerization in Photochromic Ruthenium and Osmium complexes: Mechanism, New Complexes and Molecular Devices

美国国家科学基金会无机、生物无机和有机金属化学项目的这项研究奖支持俄亥俄大学杰弗里·拉克教授研究一类新的过渡金属配合物，当暴露在太阳辐射（光）下时，这种配合物会改变结构和颜色。本研究的重点是光致变色钌和锇配合物的合成和完整表征，其作用方式与这些变色配合物中与金属结合的亚砜配体的硫-氧和氧-硫异构化有关。这些研究将集中于发现这种独特的发色团家族的动力学和热力学参数，这些发色团利用光在非常快的时间尺度上破坏和形成键。这种新型过渡金属配合物的成员将被用于制造太阳能驱动的纳米级设备，用于信息存储应用。因此，我们将探讨这种化学的基础和应用方面。与该项目相关的学生将参与各种推广项目，这些项目涉及来自长期经济萧条的阿巴拉契亚地区（俄亥俄州雅典）当地学校的男女学生。光活性化合物和材料的发展对实验室和工业环境都很重要。光能转化为其他形式的能量在生物学、化学、物理学和工程学中具有内在的兴趣和相关性。这些分子和这些研究将揭示将光能转化为其他形式能量的新策略。

This research award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program at NSF supports work by Professor Jeffrey Rack at Ohio University to investigate a new class of transition metal complexes that change structure and color when exposed to solar radiation (light). The emphasis of the study is the synthesis and complete characterization of photochromic ruthenium and osmium complexes, whose mode of action is associated with sulfur-to-oxygen and oxygen-to-sulfur isomerization of sulfoxide ligands bound to the metal in these chromophoric complexes. These studies will focus on discovering the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters for the action of this unique family of chromophores that utilize light to break and make bonds on a very fast timescale. Members of this new class of transition metal complexes will be employed in the fabrication of solar-driven nanoscale devices for information storage applications. Thus, both fundamental and applied aspects of this chemistry will be explored. Students associated with this project will be involved in a variety of outreach programs that engage male and female students from local area schools in chronically economically depressed Appalachia (Athens, OH). The development of light-activated compounds and materials is important for both laboratory and industrial settings. The transduction of light energy to other forms of energy is of intrinsic interest and relevance in biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. These molecules and these studies will reveal new strategies for the conversion of light energy into other forms of energy.