Abstract:
Structure-property relationships are a central theme in chemistry. From small molecules to polymers, minor structural changes often induce substantial differences in the properties of the material. This talk will describe three short stories of structure-property relationships across this range.
The first story will explore how substituent variation affects the optoelectronic properties of boron difluoride complexes of formazanate ligands. Tuning of both the absorption and emission wavelengths, as well as electrochemical potentials was achieved, and optimized for applications in cell imaging and electrochemiluminescence.
In the second story, a series of unique hydrophobic polymers will be discussed. These materials have significantly different properties due to the isomeric form of the hydrocarbon side chain (macrocyclic versus linear).
Finally, in the third story, a simple block copolymer system is described, where simply by varying the relative ratios and molecular weights of the respective blocks, a series of rare and previously unseen self-assembled phases are observed. Polymer synthesis and characterization by Small Angle X-ray Scattering will be discussed.
