RUI: Guerbet Alcohols as Mesogen-Inducing Groups: Synthesis and Characterization of Bipyridine-Based Metallomesogens

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)提供资金的。在这个由化学部无机、生物无机和金属有机化学计划和材料研究部固体和材料化学计划资助的RUI项目中，南方大学的罗伯特·巴赫曼将合成和研究新的金属成因：液晶形成的金属络合物。将金属络合物的有用性质与液晶的有用性质结合起来的前景，引起了人们对金属成因的长期兴趣。这些材料是影响许多行业的一类技术上重要的化合物。这项工作中的目标化合物将利用金属-金属相互作用来帮助形成液晶相，并赋予材料新的性能，如强烈的发光或导电行为。格尔贝醇是结晶度的有效抑制者，它将在低温(环境)下稳定液晶相并允许目标金属-金属相互作用发生方面发挥关键作用。Sewanee一直在将研究培训重新引入其理科本科生的教育中。该项目将影响学生的教育经历，并将为这些本科生提供在自己的机构学习研究技能的机会。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). In this RUI project funded by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division and the Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program of the Division of Materials Research, Robert Bachman of Sewanee: The University of the South will synthesize and study new metallomesogens: liquid crystal forming metal complexes. The promise of combining the useful properties of metal complexes with those of liquid crystals has led to a longstanding interest in metallomesogens. These materials are a technologically important class of compounds impacting many industries. The complexes targeted in this work will use metal-metal interactions to both assist in the formation of liquid crystalline phases and impart novel properties, such as intense luminescence or conductive behavior, to the materials. Guerbet alcohols, which are potent suppressors of crystallinity, will play a key role in stabilizing the liquid crystalline phase at low (ambient) temperature while allowing for the targeted metal-metal interactions to occur. Sewanee has been reintroducing research training into the education of its science undergraduates. This project will impact students' educational experiences and will provide these undergraduates an opportunity to learn research skills at their own institution.