Professor Dr. Darren Achey of Kutztown University

"Changes to molecular reactivity imparted by interfacial adsorption of molecules to and within nanomaterials"

Chemical adsorption of molecules to nanomaterials and molecular confinement within nanomaterials imparts thermodynamic and kinetic variations to molecular reactivity. However, these differences are challenging to measure or predict and thus are frequently overlooked in nanomaterial/molecular interfacial systems. In this seminar, two molecular/nanomaterial systems will be discussed. First, interfacial attachment of an azobenzene derivative to ZrO2 nanoparticle thin films more than doubles the azobenzene thermal isomerization rate and decreases the extent of photoisomerization by up to a factor of three compared to fluid solution. The magnitude of these changes can be controlled by selectively anchoring either the cis or trans isomer of azobenzene to the ZrO2 film. Steric hindrance of the azobenzene isomerization at the interface is implicated as an explanation for the observed variations in the reaction dynamics. Second, confinement Ru(bpy)32+ within Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) alters the well-known luminescent properties of Ru(bpy)32+.