CAREER: Standing, Lying, and Sitting: Restructuring Intermolecular Forces in Molecular Monolayers and Freshman Chemistry

普渡大学的Shelley Claridge教授通过化学部超分子、高分子和纳米化学计划获得职业奖，开发生物灵感表面化学，定制具有重要技术意义的层状材料的电子性质和溶解性。石墨烯和其他层状材料有可能改善从高效太阳能电池到精密生物传感器的各种应用。控制表面化学是影响导电性和溶解性等性质的有效手段，有助于实现这些目标。然而，在实践中，这种控制一直很难实现。克拉里奇教授的团队采用了一种生物启发的方法来解决这两个问题，方法是使用自然界选择的控制界面化学的构件之一：脂肪分子(脂类)。该计划的教育部分使用校园餐饮设施作为一年级普通化学学生和校园社区的背景丰富的学习环境。这项拟议的研究使用了一种非传统的自组装策略，该策略基于重定向成坐着的几何形状的脂类。这一策略提供了从亚纳米到微米级的层状材料表面化学的精确空间控制，使纳米级图案化、设备和生物应用成为可能。该项目建立了一个框架，用于设计新的两亲性表面化学物质，其基础是对每一块两亲性物质进行独立的修饰。新的表面化学同时控制配基-底物电子耦合和配基-溶剂相互作用，对材料的溶解性和加工性非常重要。对于半导体纳米晶体，对配体化学的严格控制已被证明是技术应用中的关键因素；对层状材料表面化学建立类似的控制有望提供类似的好处。该项目的教育部分创造性地利用校园餐饮设施作为学生共享的学习环境，以提高他们对蛋白质、脂肪和碳水化合物中重要的分子间作用力的理解，并使用已出版的基于结构绘制问题的仪器来评估他们的理解。

Professor Shelley Claridge of Purdue University is supported through a CAREER award by the Supramolecular, Macromolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the Chemistry Division to develop bioinspired surface chemistry that tailors electronic properties and solubility of technologically important layered materials. Graphene and other layered materials have the potential to improve applications ranging from high-efficiency solar cells to precision biosensors. Controlling surface chemistry represents a useful means of affecting properties such as conductivity and solubility to help reach these aims. However, in practice this control has been difficult to achieve. Professor Claridge's group takes a bioinspired approach to solving both problems using one of nature's chosen building blocks for controlling interface chemistry: fat molecules (lipids). The educational component of this program uses campus dining facilities as context-rich learning environments for first-year general chemistry students and the campus community. The proposed research uses an unconventional self-assembly strategy based on lipids reoriented into a 'sitting' geometry. This strategy provides precise spatial control over layered material surface chemistry from sub-nanometer to micron scales, enabling nanoscale patterning, device and biological applications. The project establishes a framework for designing new amphiphilic surface chemistries based on independent modifications of each piece of the amphiphile. The new surface chemistry simultaneously controls ligand-substrate electronic coupling and ligand-solvent interactions important for material solubility and processability. For semiconductor nanocrystals, rigorous control of ligand chemistry has proven to be a key enabler in technological applications; establishing similar control over layered material surface chemistry is expected to provide similar benefits. The educational component of the project makes creative use of campus dining facilities as a shared learning environment for students to improve their understanding of intermolecular forces important in proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates, and assesses their understanding using a published instrument based on structure-drawing problems.