| NSF Org: |
CHE Division Of Chemistry |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 21, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 21, 2017 |
| Award Number: | 1708210 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
George Janini
CHE Division Of Chemistry MPS Direct For Mathematical & Physical Scien |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2017 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2020(Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $420,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $420,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1608 4TH ST STE 201 BERKELEY CA US 94710-1749 (510)643-3891 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
Department of Chemistry Berkeley CA US 94720-1460 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Macromolec/Supramolec/Nano |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.049 |
ABSTRACT
This award is funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry. Professor T. Don Tilley of the University of California Berkeley is supported to develop a general approach for the synthesis of structurally well-defined and functionally diverse graphene nanostructures. The sought-after graphene nanostructures are carefully designed with an eye for novel or enhanced properties and future applications. The synthetic methods being developed target carbon-carbon bond formations, which are central to the advancement of polymer, materials, and medicinal chemistry. Graphene's extraordinary properties have generated considerable interest in this material and its substructures for many applications, including molecular electronics, catalysis, and sensing. However, progress in this area has been severely hindered by a lack of reliable synthetic methods that allow control over graphene's properties. The project provides young scientists with a broad overview of critical issues in science and technology as well as extensive technical skills in chemical synthesis, X-ray crystallography, electrochemistry, computational chemistry, and a range of spectroscopic techniques. The PI and the students involved in this project organize, lead, and participate in outreach activities, including hosting local high school summer students and teaching basic scientific principles through interactive lessons at nearby elementary schools.
The construction and elaboration of graphene nanostructures using organic chemistry promises a much higher level of control over properties than that offered by top-down methods. The synthetic manipulation of electronic properties for graphene-based materials, by generation of structures with well-defined dimensionalities, edge structures, and dopants, is challenging given the inherent difficulty associated with fusion of many aromatic rings. In this project, Professor T. Don Tilley and coworkers at UC Berkeley are developing a general, organometallic approach to address this ring-fusion challenge, with a focus on [2+2+n] cycloadditions of alkynes and/or nitriles. This chemistry is being used to target several novel classes of graphene nanostructures and related large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and all syntheses are driven by the pursuit of novel or enhanced properties. Electronic and optical properties are firmly established at the molecular level using various absorption and emission spectroscopies and electrochemical methods. As appropriate, these properties are then probed at the supramolecular, monolayer, and/or solid-state levels. An important aspect to this work is the use of advanced physical methods in the characterization of electronic properties, and their relationship to structure.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
For this award, funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the Division of Chemistry (CHE), the research group of Professor T. Don Tilley in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley investigated the synthesis and behavior of new polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Well-defined PAHs are of interest as basic building blocks of graphene and other carbon-rich nanostructures (carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, etc.). The development of efficient routes to well-defined PAHs can have significant impact, given broad interest in their use as replacements for inorganic components in electronic and optoelectronic devices, and their capacity to exhibit unique electronic and photophysical properties. A major motivation of research in organic electronic materials is the construction of molecularly defined "cut-outs" of graphene and related nanostructures with (for example) well-defined edges and/or the controlled incorporation of defects (heteroatoms, strain, or holes), since these structural features can have a profound impact on a material’s electronic, optical, and magnetic properties. In this project, synthetic methods that allow efficient construction of PAH molecules were developed. A specific accomplishment is discovery of simple pathways to helical (chiral) PAH's that are of interest due to their interactions with polarized light. Also, macrocyclic molecules designed to allow control over interactions between PAH fragments were developed. The resulting PAHs were characterized by a number of analytical techniques, and their electronic properties were investigated. These methods should be useful for design and discovery of new carbon-based materials with tailored electronic properties.
In addition to its research contributions, this project facilitated scientific growth in young scientists. The work on PAH systems is primarily due to the efforts of one graduate student, Gavin Kiel, who spearheaded this new direction. Gavin presented his research at national ACS meetings, and was recognized as a Reaxys Prize Finalist. He was recently awarded a Beckman Fellowship for his postdoctoral research at MIT. Graduate students played an active role in mentoring undergraduates, and this grant directly produced five undergraduate mentees. Of the four undergraduates who have graduated, all are pursuing PhD studies in top synthetic chemistry programs (Caltech, Stanford, UCI, and Calgary). Importantly, these undergraduates appear on five of the publications from this grant period (one as a first author). The other graduate student to be supported by this funding, Harrison Bergman, has mentored a current undergraduate who has made significant progress on her own project and plans to attend graduate school in chemistry. The group has had a long-standing commitment to mentorship of disadvantaged and under-represented high school students, in recent years through the ACS SEED program.
Last Modified: 12/30/2020
Modified by: T. Don Tilley
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