Tuning Antiaromaticity and Diradical Properties in Diarenoindacenes, Diindenoacenes, and Related Quinoidal Scaffolds

美国国家科学基金会化学部的化学合成项目用这个奖项支持俄勒冈大学的Michael Haley教授的研究，他正在合成被称为茚二烯和烯二烯的分子。Haley教授和他的研究小组构建了这些具有系统结构差异的化合物，以回答有关这些变化如何影响这些化合物的电子和材料特性的基本问题。一个关键的目标是开发简单的方法来构建这些化合物，以研究它们的特性。检查这些分子的光学、电子和/或磁性，然后确定如何对它们进行调谐和优化，以用于光电器件，如有机场效应晶体管和有机光伏。哈利教授和他的研究小组与材料科学家合作，接待来自主要本科院校的访问科学家在他们的实验室长期停留，并继续让不同群体的本科生参与他们的研究活动。非苯基共轭体系，如吲哚芴（IFs），因其具有低能价壳层和小带隙的有机半导体潜力而得到认可。本项目旨在创建具有杂环基团的扩展中频结构和中频衍生物，以更好地理解这些双基系统中的单重态-三重态间隙，并与原始中频系统进行比较。该团队还构建了新的不对称IF化合物，以确定对称性丧失对基本性质的影响。在这些研究中制备的分子为纳米技术和低成本电子领域的实际应用提供了机会。这个项目也为研究生和本科生提供了一个很好的训练基地，他们在有机合成、计算化学、晶体学方面有广泛的经验，并了解分子结构和电子性质之间的基本关系。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。

With this award, the Chemical Synthesis Program of the NSF Chemistry Division is supporting the research of Professor Michael Haley of the University of Oregon who is synthesizing molecules known as indenoacenes and arenoindacenes. Professor Haley and his research group construct these compounds with systematic structural differences to answer fundamental questions about how these changes affect the electronic and material properties of these compounds. A key goal is to develop simple methods to construct these compounds in order to study their characteristics. Examination of the optical, electronic, and/or magnetic properties of these molecules then determines how they can be tuned and optimized for use in optoelectronic devices such as organic field effect transistors and organic photovoltaics. Professor Haley and his research group collaborate with material scientists, host visiting scientists from primarily undergraduate institutions for extended stays in their laboratory, and have continued substantial involvement of a diverse group of undergraduates in their research activities.Non-benzene-based conjugated systems, such as indenofluorenes (IFs), have been recognized for their potential as organic semiconductors characterized by low energy valence shells and a small band gap. This project aims to create extended IF structures and IF derivatives with heterocyclic groups to better understand the singlet-triplet gap in these diradical systems and to compare to the original IF system. The team also constructs novel asymmetric IF compounds to determine the effect of the loss of symmetry on fundamental properties. The molecules prepared in these studies present opportunities for practical applications in the areas of nanotechnology and low-cost electronics. This project also serves as an excellent training ground for graduate and undergraduate researchers with broad experiences in organic synthesis, computational chemistry, crystallography, and understanding the fundamental relationship between molecular structure and electronic properties.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.