Design and Synthesis of Smart Molecular Materials

该项目的目的是开发由有机和有机金属分子系统组成的新型可切换材料，这些材料可以感知和响应环境。所谓的“智能材料”，这些系统可以改变它们的颜色，结构和电子特性，以响应温度，压力，光和某些化学品的存在。它们被用于设计新的响应设备，应用于医疗保健，传感和显示技术。分子（或基于分子的）系统为这种类型的应用提供了多种优点，主要是由于其固有的化学和功能多功能性以及其功能单元的小尺寸。该项目提供了广泛的合成和表征技术在这个高度跨学科的研究领域的经验。该项目的初始阶段涉及使用传统合成化学方法和无溶剂绿色化学相结合的材料合成。化学表征采用标准技术进行，包括NMR、UV-vis、质谱、X射线衍射等。根据需要，将通过反射率测量（以观察颜色变化）、拉曼光谱、AFM、SEM和TEM进行全面的性能分析。功能薄膜和界面形式的设备将使用Shepherd集团目前正在开发的智能材料原位合成的一些新技术来生产。

The aim of the project is to develop new switchable materials comprised of both organic and organometallic molecular systems that can sense and respond to their environment. So-called 'smart materials', these systems can change their colour, structure and electronic properties in response to temperature, pressure, light and the presence of certain chemicals. They are being used to design new responsive devices with applications in healthcare, sensing and display technologies. Molecular (or molecule-based) systems provide multiple advantages for this type of application, primarily due to their intrinsic chemical and functional versatility as well as the small size of their functional units. The project provides experience in a wide range of synthetic and characterisation techniques in this highly interdisciplinary field of research. The initial phase of the project involves synthesis of materials using a combination of traditional synthetic chemistry methods and solvent-free green-chemistry. Chemical characterisation is performed using standard techniques including NMR, UV-vis, mass spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and so on. Full analysis of properties will be undertaken via reflectivity measurements (to characterise changes in colour), Raman spectroscopy, AFM, SEM and TEM as required. Devices in the form of functional thin films and interfaces will be produced using a number of novel techniques for in-situ synthesis of smart materials currently under development in the Shepherd group.