The demand of lithium-ion batteries is quickly increasing largely due to the increased production of electric vehicles.  This rise in battery production will lead to an equivalent rise in waste as these batteries are consumed and discarded.  Currently only about 5% of lithium-ion batteries are recycled¹.  This low level of recycling is in part due to the cost to recycle and the limitations of the current technologies available at an industrial scale.

Computational quantum chemistry can be used to gain insight into reactivity and simulate properties or spectra. However, conducting computational studies often requires using command line interfaces, which have a steep learning curve. A simpler alternative to command line interfaces is graphical user interfaces. Existing graphical interfaces are often insufficient to handle every task that one encounters during a computational study: building structures, setting up computations, viewing calculated properties, and creating publication-quality graphics.

Advances in mass spectrometry instrumentation and experimental design have led to significant inroads in the characterization of biological molecules like proteins and lipids, thus translating to new applications in the field of proteomics, lipidomics and structural biology. Ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) is a fast, higher energy ion activation mode that results in extensive and information fragmentation of molecules, and ion activation/dissociation can be accomplished using a single 5 ns laser pulse.

Graphene oxide quantum dots (GQDs) are a zero-dimensional (0D) nanomaterial of the carbon family that has attracted much attention in biomedical applications. Top-down and bottom-up approaches are used to synthesize GQDs.

Aptamers are ribonucleic acids (RNA) or single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) molecules that demonstrate high affinity and specificity for a wide range of targets.  These molecules possess several advantages such as good tissue penetration and are easily modified for increased stability and combination therapy.  Consequently, aptamers are used as drugs and diagnostic tools. Bioimaging, analytical reagents, and toxin/hazardous chemical detection are only a few of the other applications of aptamers.

Nature uses sequence-defined (having a precise sequence of units) monodisperse (same molecular weight) polymers for the data storage and transfer (DNA, RNA), for the control of properties and structure (proteins), for the efficient catalysis of various reactions (enzymes), and many more. However, these bio-macromolecules have limited stability and lack chemical and structural diversity. Current methods for the preparation of sequence-defined monodisperse polymers are usually based on solid support synthesis.

Glycosylation is an important and common post translational modification in proteins. Glycoproteins are proteins that carry one of more glycans covalently attached to a polypeptide backbone, usually via N- or O-linkages. One of the most abundant glycoproteins in human serum is Immunoglobulin G (IgG), a type of antibody. IgG is composed of four subunits, two identical light chains and two identical heavy chains, forming a structure with twofold symmetry. Both heavy chains have a single N-linked glycosylation site.

Surfactants are organic molecules that have surface active properties that reduce the surface tension of solutions. Surfactants can be found in marine water systems and originate from both natural and anthropogenic sources. These compounds are characterized by having a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail. This chemical structure causes surfactants to accumulate and orient themselves on the surface of the ocean in a microlayer of organic molecules.

The Chemistry Graduate Student Organization Networking Committee would like to have an open roundtable discussion about the importance of personal development and networking as a student progressing through graduate school and preparing for an evolving job market. A sense of community is an important part of having a successful graduate career and generating discussion is an important way of making such progress. To lead the discussion, faculty members will provide insight on effective networking skills necessary for navigating conferences.

X-ray-induced photodynamic therapy (X-PDT) holds the potential to overcome the shallow tissue penetration issue associated with conventional photodynamic therapy (PDT). To this end, complex and sometimes toxic scintillator-photosensitizer nanoconjugates are often used, posing barriers for large-scale manufacturing and regulatory approval. Herein, we report a streamlined X-PDT strategy based on CsI(Na)@MgO nanoparticles and 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA).