Targeted design of electronic and magnetic properties in novel materials remains a critical bottleneck in the development of many next-generation electrical and electrochemical devices. In this talk, I will describe how the principles of molecular inorganic chemistry can be applied to systematically engineer materials hosting a diverse range of desired properties.

The transition to a sustainable future requires innovative approaches in materials design, utilization, and recycling. In this talk, I will discuss two advancements at the intersection of polymer chemistry and sustainability: the development of metal-chelating polymers for rare-earth element (REE: La–Lu, Y, and Sc) extraction, and the synthesis of chemically recyclable polymers.

The pursuit of next-generation materials to address the energy and sustainability crisis hinges on hybrid crystalline systems, particularly layered lattices with well-defined organic-inorganic interfaces. These materials harness the vast chemical space of organics and the superior electronic, photonic, or catalytic performance of inorganics, making the assembly tunable and solution processable.

Climate change and global air pollution are the world’s two most serious issues. Negative carbon and polluted air capture are critical strategies for addressing rising CO₂ and air pollution levels. State-of-the-art materials design at the atomic level is in high demand, and their fundamental mechanism must be revealed using cutting-edge microscopic and spectroscopic methodologies. As a result, the utilization of sustainable materials (e.g.

Semi-aromatic polyesters derived from petroleum are an important class of polymers that encompass a wide variety of thermal and mechanical properties. Unfortunately, replacing the aromatic component with cost-competitive bioderived monomers is an ongoing challenge. In this presentation, we describe the synthesis of nine different polyesters made from AB monomers that can be derived from lignin, and include full characterization of their thermal, mechanical, and rheological properties.

The second harmonic generation (SHG) is a nonlinear coherent second-order scattering process that causes frequency doubling of incident light. It is widely used in laser technology, spectroscopy, microscopy, wireless communication technology and fiber-optic communication systems. The main requirement for the SHG process is the noncentrosymmetry of the material, since the second-order susceptibility coefficient, which is responsible for the second harmonic generation, is zero in all centrosymmetric structures.

Zoom link for seminar: https://zoom.us/j/92955070680

Hydrocarbons of all shapes and sizes are found throughout the various stages of star- and planet formation. Recently, using radio astronomical observations, a variety of cyclic- and even polycyclic hydrocarbons have been detected in the very cold (10 K) Taurus molecular cloud. These detections challenge our understanding of the chemical formation mechanisms under these low-temperature and low-density conditions.

Ammonia (NH₃) is important in the production of many products including fertilizers, plastics, resins, synthetic fabrics, and explosives. At the industrial scale, NH₃ is produced using the Haber–Bosch (H–B) process, which is typically carried out at high temperatures and pressures. This process produces over 300 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, and consumes 1-2% of the world’s energy supply.