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.

The UGA Department of Chemistry welcomes Dr. Aaron Aponick as the next Head of the Department, effective November 1, 2025. Dr. Aponick earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Lebanon Valley College in 1998 and completed his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at the University of Michigan in 2003, where he was recognized as an Eastman Kodak and ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Fellow. He went on to conduct postdoctoral research at Stanford University as a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow. 

The carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) are still largely unknown although polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carbon chains, and fullerenes are likely candidates. A recent analysis of the properties of n-acenes of general formula C4n+2H2n+4 suggested that these could be potential carriers of some DIBs. Dehydrogenation reactions of n-acenes after absorption of an interstellar UV photon may result in dehydroacenes.

Understanding low-temperature combustion mechanisms of hydrocarbons is aided by isomer-resolved experiments and chemical kinetics modeling of complex species. Alkyl-substituted cyclic ethers are intermediates formed during low-temperature oxidation and are derived from unimolecular reactions of hydroperoxyalkyl radicals (Q̇OOH). To understand the combustion of these cyclic ethers and differences in stereochemistry, comparison of chemical kinetics modeling with species profiles produced from the competing network reactions are required.