Syntheses, Anion Recognition and Self-assemblies of Cyanostilbene Receptors

该项目的长期目标是解决化学科学中的重大挑战之一：如何设计和完善具有定制特性的新形式物质的原子和能量效率合成。为此，Amar H.印第安纳州大学的Flood寻求如何设计中心带有孔的星形分子的知识，以识别和容纳曾经被认为太大而无法捕获的带负电荷的阴离子的独特类别。通过这样做，这项研究和这些分子可以在去除污染水中的有毒阴离子或操纵对人类健康重要的阴离子方面产生影响。此外，他的研究小组还研究了如何设计星形结构，使其自组装并组装在一起，形成更大的组件，例如，纳米大小的足球形状的结构。他的目标是揭示它们自组装的规则，因为分子不能像乐高玩具那样被挑选和放置在一起。这种材料可能会对隔室化学催化和门控药物递送产生影响。该项目的更广泛影响活动包括培训研究生和本科生，使用3D打印来教授自组装原理，以及制定战略以增加代表性不足的少数民族和妇女在Flood博士组织的会议上的参与和知名度。在NSF大分子，超分子和纳米化学计划的支持下，Flood博士寻求开发用于结合阴离子（例如，生物相关的磷酸盐），并从根本上了解非共价相互作用（如CH H键）和疏溶剂效应如何影响阴离子结合。此外，他还探索了在轮烷中使用氰基星，可以在状态之间切换，以及在源于阴离子模板和5重对称的新型自组装结构中使用氰基星。

The long term goal of this project is to address one of the grand challenges in the chemical sciences: How to design and perfect the atom- and energy-efficient synthesis of new forms of matter with tailored properties. To this end, Dr. Amar H. Flood at Indiana University seeks knowledge of how to design star-shaped molecules bearing holes in their centers to recognize and hold unique classes of negatively charged anions that were once considered too large to catch. By doing so, this research and these molecules can have impacts in removing toxic anions from contaminated water or manipulating anions important for human health. In addition, his research team investigates how star-shaped structures can be designed to self-assemble and fit together to form larger assemblies, e.g., nanometer-sized, soccer-ball shaped architectures. He aims to unfold the rules of their self-assembly because molecules cannot be picked and placed together like a lego set. Such materials could have impacts in compartmentalized chemical catalysis and for gated drug delivery. Broader impact activities of the project include training of graduate and undergraduate students, using 3D printing to teach principles of self-assembly, and developing strategies to increase the participation and visibility of under-represented minorities and women at conferences organized by Dr. Flood.Under the support of the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program of NSF, Dr. Flood seeks to develop the syntheses of polycyanostilbene macrocycles called "cyanostars" for binding anions (e.g., biorelevant phosphates), and understand fundamentally how non-covalent interactions (such as CH H-bonding) and solvophobic effects influence anion binding. Furthermore, he explores the use of cyanostars in rotaxanes that can switch between states and in novel self-assembled architectures that stem from anion templation and 5-fold symmetry.