Presenter(s): Shayan Louie − Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor(s): Ramesh Jasti, Jeff Van Raden
Poster 87
Research Area: Natural Science
Funding: Presidential Undergraduate Research Scholars
Ruthenium polypyridyl complexes undergo metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) in the presence of light, allowing energy from light to be captured in the form of an electron transfer. These molecules possess great potential as catalysts for efficient and clean chemical processes. To develop light-harvesting complexes that perform advanced functions, new ligands, or groups around metal ions, must be made. Cycloparaphenylenes (CPPs) are hoop-shaped photoactive molecules with virtually unexplored roles as ligands. They possess exceptional size-dependent optic and electric properties, and show potential as a new class of macrocycles for supramolecular chemistry, ultimately making them suitable for charge-transfer complexes. Through the incorporation of nitrogen atoms into the backbone of [8]CPP, we found that CPPs act as versatile ligands for a variety of metals including Ru(II). However, the effects of CPP diameter on the electric properties of Ru(II)-based light- harvesting complexes are unknown. We have recently synthesized CPP ligands of various sizes and coordinated them to ruthenium centers, which has allowed for the investigation of size/diameter on these properties.
The optic and electric properties of the complexes have been studied using UV-Vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Here, we present our findings.