Redox-switching and Topology Control in Metallosurfactant Precursors for Supramolecular Films

韦恩州立大学的Cláudio N.Verani教授在化学系高分子、超分子和纳米化学计划的支持下，开展了使用含金属的两亲分子来制备氧化还原活性超分子薄膜的研究。这一跨学科计划旨在将过渡金属配位络合物中氧化还原驱动的开关与表面的分子组织结合在一起，并专注于三个目标：(I)开发基于具有电活性配体的五配位M(III)-络合物的氧化还原活性两亲性和疏水性，(Ii)设计基于模块化多金属核心的盘状拓扑结构的氧化还原活性两亲性化合物，以及(Iii)开发在空气-水界面组装扩展的模块化朗缪尔薄膜的新方法。这些目标需要在合成方法、电化学、光谱、计算、等温压缩和显微镜方法方面的综合和多学科知识。这项研究是为了将从小型过渡金属络合物中学到的信息转化为有用的系统，以促进新材料和器件的开发。教育部分以社会认知方法为基础，使用肥皂剧和更简单的实验等统一主题来接触底特律学校系统的研究生、中学生和幼儿园学生。此外，本研究还为本科生和研究生提供无机化学和材料化学的多学科研究培训。

Professor Cláudio N. Verani at the Wayne State University is supported by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry program of the Division of Chemistry to conduct research on the use of metal-containing amphiphiles for redox-active supramolecular thin films. This interdisciplinary program seeks to merge redox-driven switching in transition-metal coordination complexes with molecular organization at surfaces, and focuses on three aims: (i) the development of redox-active amphiphiles and hydrophobes based on five-coordinate M(III)-complexes with electroactive ligands, (ii) the design of redox-active amphiphiles of discoid topology based on modular multimetallic cores, and (iii) the development of novel approaches to assemble extended modular Langmuir films at the air-water interface. These aims require a comprehensive and multidisciplinary knowledge in synthetic methodologies, electrochemical, spectroscopic, computational, isothermal compression, and microscopy methods. This research is an effort to translate information learned from small transition metal complexes into useful systems that foster the development of new materials and devices. The educational component is based on a socio-cognitive approach and uses unifying topics such as soaps and simpler experiments to reach out for graduate students, middle school students, as well as kindergartners of the Detroit School System. In addition, this research provides multidisciplinary research training for undergraduates and graduate students in inorganic and materials chemistry.