Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity (PIMs): Synthesis and Application Porous polymers represent a class of materials wherein the arrangement of their constituent building blocks gives rise to intricate 2- or 3-dimensional porous structures. Among these, Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity (PIMs) stand out as a distinct category characterized by their randomly contorted shapes, preventing efficient macromolecular packing in the solid state, therefore resulting in the formation of pores. Type of Event: Materials Chemistry and Nanoscience Seminar Read more about Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity (PIMs): Synthesis and Application
An Interplay Between Pressure, Composition, and Magnetism The significance of magnetic materials has grown exponentially with the technological advances achieved over the past few decades. These materials have become integral to daily life, with applications that span from decorative purposes to data storage. However, despite their abundance, magnetism remains a largely underexplored area. This lack of understanding can be attributed largely to the complexity of magnetic systems and the intricacy resulting from the myriad of factors which influence them. Type of Event: Materials Chemistry and Nanoscience Seminar Read more about An Interplay Between Pressure, Composition, and Magnetism
7-Dehydrocholesterol Encapsulated Lipid Nanoparticles as a Radiation-activated Radiosensitizer The pursuit of therapeutics that can be selectively activated by radiation to enhance radiotherapy's efficacy is a pressing need. In this study, we utilized 7-Dehydrocholesterol (7DHC), a biosynthetic precursor of cholesterol, as a lipid targeted radiation-induced radiosensitizer (RIRS) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Type of Event: Materials Chemistry and Nanoscience Seminar Read more about 7-Dehydrocholesterol Encapsulated Lipid Nanoparticles as a Radiation-activated Radiosensitizer
A Century of Teaching Inorganic Chemistry Over the past century, the teaching of undergraduate inorganic chemistry has experienced a roller coaster of implementation. Starting with a separation from general chemistry, to recombination, then overall neglect, inorganic chemistry content and instruction have had a dynamic influence in the world of chemical education. With curriculum changes beginning in the late 1920s, American Chemical Society (ACS) guidelines have been continually altered even into modern day. Type of Event: Materials Chemistry and Nanoscience Seminar Read more about A Century of Teaching Inorganic Chemistry
Improvement of α-amino Ester Hydrolase (AEH) Via Rational Design, Computational Design, and Machine Learning (ML) Current batch enzymatic processes to important semi-synthetic beta-lactam antibiotics, such as amoxicillin and cephalexin, suffer from yield and selectivity limitations, owing to primary and secondary hydrolysis side reactions (see Figure). Through continuous flow and reactive crystallization of the beta-lactam product, we sought to suppress primary hydrolysis and prevent secondary hydrolysis. Indeed, we found higher yields than in homogenous batch reactions. Type of Event: Organic Seminar Read more about Improvement of α-amino Ester Hydrolase (AEH) Via Rational Design, Computational Design, and Machine Learning (ML)
Frequency Combs as the Route to the Spectroscopic Trifecta: High Time Resolution, High Frequency Resolution, and High Sensitivity Many consequential chemical processes take place on ultrafast timescales, including molecular vibrations and bond breaking. Measurements that follow ultrafast molecular dynamics in real time are changing our understanding of these processes. We are designing new tools to study ultrafast molecular dynamics and quantum mechanics with the sensitivity enough to study the molecules in molecular beams and the spectral resolution sufficient for vibrational and rotational resolution. Type of Event: Departmental Colloquium Physical Seminar Read more about Frequency Combs as the Route to the Spectroscopic Trifecta: High Time Resolution, High Frequency Resolution, and High Sensitivity
Multi-Dimensional Separations for Bacteria Identifications and Investigations of Antimicrobial Resistance Bacterial infections are a major global health concern, with an estimated 1 in 8 deaths attributed to bacterial infections in 2019 alone. When a patient with a suspected infection arrives in a clinical setting, the first step to developing a treatment strategy is to identify the causative pathogen, followed by determination of antimicrobial therapeutics that are appropriate and effective. Type of Event: Departmental Colloquium Analytical Seminar Special Seminar Read more about Multi-Dimensional Separations for Bacteria Identifications and Investigations of Antimicrobial Resistance
Automatic Differentiation of Explicitly Correlated MP2 For a long time, explicitly correlated (F12) methods have offered a solution to the slow convergence of the one-electron basis set. Although there have been numerous studies in which F12 methods have improved the accuracy of single-point energies, most of these methods have not been extended to gradients and Hessians. One such method is the highly robust explicitly-correlated second-order Moeller-Plesset perturbation theory within the 3C(FIX) Ansatz [MP2-F12/3C(FIX)]. Type of Event: Physical Seminar Read more about Automatic Differentiation of Explicitly Correlated MP2
Emerging Chemistry of Main Group Element-Based Dithiolene Complexes While transition metals have played a dominant role in the development of dithiolene chemistry, their main-group element-based counterparts have received considerably less attention. This laboratory recently reported the first structurally characterized lithium dithiolene radical, via reaction of the anionic N-heterocyclic dicarbene with elemental sulfur. This radical provides an effective synthetic platform to access the largely unexplored main group element-based dithiolene chemistry. Type of Event: Inorganic Seminar Read more about Emerging Chemistry of Main Group Element-Based Dithiolene Complexes
Imaging Biological Tissues at High Chemical and Spatial Resolutions Using Mass Spectrometry Imaging mass spectrometry is a powerful analytical technique for analyzing the spatial lipidome. This technology enables the visualization of molecular pathology directly in tissues by combining the specificity of mass spectrometry with the spatial fidelity of microscopic imaging. This label-free methodology has proven exceptionally useful in research areas such as cancer diagnosis, diabetes, and infectious disease. Type of Event: Analytical Seminar Read more about Imaging Biological Tissues at High Chemical and Spatial Resolutions Using Mass Spectrometry