Principal Investigator Mircea Dinca
Molecular multinuclear inorganic clusters exhibit enhanced photophysical, magnetic, and catalytic properties relative to their low-nuclearity congeners. In principle, the incorporation of multinuclear clusters in ordered microporous arrays should afford multifunctional materials whose properties combine those of molecular clusters with those of the bulk solids. We aim to develop new ligands that will afford highly connected metal-organic frameworks whose synthesis has been very challenging and serendipitous thus far. We are interested in exploring the unique electronic properties of such materials, with potential applications in catalysis and luminescent materials.
Synthetic work and rigorous physical characterization are the cornerstones of our research. Students and post-doctoral researchers will gain synthetic skills spanning inorganic (Schlenk & Glove Box techniques), solid state, solvothermal, and organic chemistry (for ligand synthesis). We employ a range of characterization techniques: single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, gas-sorption analysis, electrochemistry, thermogravimetry and various spectroscopic techniques: NMR, UV-Vis, IR, EPR, etc. These allow us to delineate important structure-function relationships that guide us in the design of new materials with predesigned physical properties.