Cycloaddition reactions have been recognized as a robust method to construct carbocyclic or heterocyclic systems in a highly convergent manner through a concerted or stepwise mechanism since the original discovery of the Diels-Alder reaction. N-Heterocyclic compounds are considered “privileged structures” in pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry for their core structure being present in many biologically active molecules and building blocks.

This talk will follow one major track through my research over the past half century. It starts with how soot forms in fuel rich flames and the resultant fractal morphology. This fractal nature is universal to all aggregating systems of solid particles and, as I will explain, can ultimately lead to gelation. Experiments to create aerosol gels in closed chambers led to the chance discovery of a viable method to make multi-layer graphene of commercial value.

Four graduate students from the Department of Chemistry were recently named as recipients of graduate fellowships for students who are specializing in cancer research. Jiayi Wang and Yi Tang of the Xie research group and Takbir Hossain of the Phillips research group were awarded the Grimes Family Distinguished Graduate Fellowship in Natural Sciences, which provides academic year support to a graduate student in Franklin College majoring in the Natural Sciences working on the area of cancer research.

The overarching theme of our research program concerns the development of new and general pericyclic strategies that enable efficient access to complex cyclic frameworks of biological importance. A hallmark of our approach is the design of atypical cycloaddition reaction partners that are at a high oxidation level (i.e., large degree of heteroatom incorporation and/or unsaturation) in order to confer unique reactivity, while also minimizing the need for redox manipulations post cycloaddition.

Nanoparticle superlattices are ordered assemblies of nanoscale building blocks that mimic atomic crystals while exhibiting unique, tunable properties. These structures can be formed through bottom-up self-assembly processes, where nanoparticles are considered analogous to atoms connected by programmable interactions.

As the popularity of electric vehicles continues to rise so does the demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIB). A common cathode material for LIBs used in electric vehicles is lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides (Li-Ni_xCo_yMn_1−x−yO₂, NMC). This is due to its high specific capacity (160 – 200 mAh/g) and voltage (~3.6 V). Currently, there are two types of battery recycling methods that are in use in at an industry level scale: hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy.

Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are semiconductor materials that emit light when current passes through them. The discovery of LEDs in 1962 has revolutionized modern optoelectronics. These LEDs have evolved from the early GaAsP-based red emitters to more efficient GaN-based devices, and the latest development is LEDs incorporating perovskite quantum dots.