Developing A Sustainable Metal Alkynyl Chemistry

化学系化学合成项目支持任通教授的课题。任教授是普渡大学化学系的教员。他和他的同事正在开发具有有趣光化学性质的新型金属炔基配合物。本研究的目标是建立一个独特的基于地球丰富金属的供体-金属-烷基基-受体配合物家族，研究电子在阳光下如何在这些分子内运动，并学习如何控制这种电子运动。这项研究可能为如何改进分子光伏系统，利用地球上丰富的材料将太阳能转化为电能提供线索。该项目涉及有机和无机合成以及超快光谱，为研究生和本科生提供广泛的培训。任教授的小组还积极吸引在科学领域代表性不足的学生，并通过提高他们的动手实验经验，为印第安纳州农村地区的K-12学生带来最先进的设备，发挥了重要作用。这项研究和教育计划通过探索光伏、光催化和分子电子设备的可持续系统来提高美国的竞争力。过渡金属乙酰基化合物已被用于许多技术上重要的领域，包括光伏、光催化和分子电子器件。目前的项目从制备由c取代环基支撑的对称和不对称双炔基金属配合物开始。合成努力的一个特别焦点是供体-桥体-受体（D-B-A）二联体，其中D和A分别是烷基，上面有适当的电子供体和受体，B是M（环环）单元。除了通过单晶x射线衍射建立分子几何结构外，还使用伏安法、光谱电化学和稳态发射光谱技术评估了供体-受体相互作用的程度及其对氧化还原和光物理性质的影响。通过与普渡大学和其他地方的两位同事的合作，研究人员使用泵-探针和泵-泵-探针技术探索了D-B-A二元体中光诱导电子转移的衰减。该项目的变革性质在于有望用富含地球的3d金属取代金属炔基材料中的贵金属，并发现新的电子和光电子特性。任教授致力于扩大从新生到初级教师等不同层次的弱势群体对化学研究事业的参与，并保持了多元化的研究团队。任教授和他的同事们也在普渡大学的科学快车项目中发挥了积极的作用，特别是在引入新的教学模块方面，这些模块反映了对可持续化学的高度兴趣。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Chemical Synthesis Program of the Division of Chemistry supports the project by Professor Tong Ren. Professor Ren is a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at Purdue University. He and his coworkers are developing new classes of metal alkynyl complexes with interesting photochemical properties. The goal of this research is to establish a unique family of donor-metal-alkynyl-acceptor complexes based on earth abundant metals, to study how electrons move within these molecules under sunlight, and to learn how to control such electron movement. This study may provide clues on how to improve molecular photovoltaic systems for the conversion of solar energy into electricity using earth abundant materials. The project involves both organic and inorganic syntheses and ultrafast spectroscopy, which provides broad training for both graduate and undergraduate students. Professor Ren's group is also actively engaging students underrepresented in science, and plays a significant role in bringing the state of arts equipment to the K-12 students in the rural areas of Indiana by enhancing their hands-on laboratory experience. This research and education program promotes US competitiveness through an exploration of sustainable systems for photovoltaics, photocatalysis, and molecular electronic devices.Transition metal acetylide compounds have been employed in a number of technologically important areas including photovoltaics, photo-catalysis and molecular electronic devices. The current project begins with the preparation of the symmetric and unsymmetric bis-alkynyl metal complexes supported by C-substituted cyclams. A special focus of the synthetic effort is the donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) dyads, where D and A are respectively alkynyls capped with appropriate electron donor and acceptor, and B is the M(cyclam) unit. Besides the establishment of molecular geometry through single crystal X-ray diffraction, the degree of donor-acceptor interaction and its impact on redox and photophysical properties is assessed using voltammetric, spectroelectrochemical and steady-state emission spectroscopic techniques. Through the collaboration with both colleagues at Purdue and elsewhere, the investigators explore the attenuation of photoinduced electron transfer within the D-B-A dyad using both pump-probe and pump-pump-probe techniques. The transformative nature of the project lies in the promise of replacing precious metals in metal-alkynyl based materials with earth abundant 3d metals and discovering new electronic and optoelectronic properties. Professor Ren is striving to broaden the participation in chemical research enterprise by underrepresented groups on multiple levels from incoming freshman to junior faculty, and has maintained a diverse research group. Professor Ren and his coworkers also play an active role in Purdue's Science Express program, especially in introducing new teaching modules that reflect the heightened interest in sustainable chemistry.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.