Social event to take place from 12:30pm-12:45pm in the breezeway.
Abstract:
During my time as a graduate student and postdoc, I learned a great deal about how the sequence of macromolecule (for example, DNA) could lead to the arrangement of specific shapes (for example, a sphere, plate, etc.) to elicit a range of new properties such as those found in Nature. Here, I will talk about two topics inspired by this work. First, I will describe our work on polymers with absolute control over the molecular weight and sequence. In this effort, we are using light-harvesting polymers and combining them with photochemical reaction centers where we can position the center at any given point along the chain. This has allowed us to investigate energy transfer in ways that were previously not possible with light-harvesting polymers. Second, I will describe our work to control the molecular shape of materials for use in a range of applications. While the chemical unit structures are identical, dimensionality (0D, 1D, 2D…) profoundly influences performance. This has allowed us to improve the performance of certain types of energy storage and related materials. Overall, I will describe our efforts to use synthetic chemistry to develop a range of interesting and potentially useful matter.