Directory
Stimuli-Responsive Molecules and Materials
Switchable molecular and supramolecular materials
C. Bucher
Enormous technologic interests are currently at stake in being able to devise molecular objects that could respond to external stimuli by changes in structure and function.
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These particular properties can lead to applications in various domains as in molecular electronics, with the development of molecular devices for data storage, in analytic science, with switchable hosts allowing a controlled binding/release of pollutants or drugs or in materials science with the development of adaptive responsive supramolecular polymers. Along these general lines, most of our future efforts will aim at achieving an electrochemical control over the structure, properties and organization of molecular materials. Part of this work will be carried out in the context of an ongoing research program (ANR PRIMO 2012-2016, “Pi-Radicals as building blocks for electron-responsive Molecular materials and Organized assemblies”) involving partner from Grenoble (E. Saint-Aman, Département de Chimie Moléculaire-UJF) and Strasbourg (J. Weiss, Labo CLAC, ULP). Our main objective here is to take an active part in the highly competitive worldwide race towards useful and marketable technologies based on switchable molecules. It includes fundamental developments on switchable molecules capable of undergoing large structural changes under the effect of an electron transfer as well as collaborative works aiming at demonstrating the potential of switchable molecules in material science and in electronics.
Molecular electrochemistry
C. Bucher
Following our most recent progresses in the development of electrosynthetic stategies towards expanded porphyrins and analogs (ANR JCJC 2009-2012), our future efforts will also aim at extending this approach to a series of mixed pyrrole/furan/thiophene/benzenoid containing molecular bricks which will be either directly synthesize in our group or obtained through different collaborations.
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The success of the strategies reported so far indeed leads us to propose that analogous electrochemical oxidation processes could be used to generate a range of new and extant expanded porphyrin products and that such procedures could evolve to replace or complement those based on more classical chemical oxidants. Further development in this field also includes the use of indirect electrochemical strategies involving redox catalysis. A particular attention will also be paid to the exploitations and applications of these novel chromophores in host-guest chemistry and in molecular electronics/photonics.
Our expertise in molecular electrochemistry has moreover recently been valued within the scope of local collaborative programs. One project developed in collaboration with Dr. Estelle Métay (ICBMS, Univ. Lyon1), funded in 2013 by the ICL agency (Institut de Chimie de Lyon), aims at using electrochemical methods to provide insights into the iron-mediated catalytic reduction of nitroaryl derivatives by polysiloxane. Similar investigations are currently carried out in the framework of the NOGELPO project, funded by the University of Lyon (Program Avenir Lyon-Saint-Etienne 2013-1014, 350kE, coordinator Dr. C. Monnereau, ENS-Lyon), to characterize the electrochemical and electrical properties of polymeric iono-gels finding potential applications as electrolyte materials for energy storage. These ongoing collaborative works will be further developed over the forthcoming period.
Design, synthesis and study of electronic/optical properties of strained polymeric materials
C. Bucher
This new project will be initiated in the framework of the forthcoming contract. It aims at developing synthetic strategies towards strained polyphenylene vinylenes (PPV) polymers wherein rotation between the phenyl and vinyl moieties would be blocked or rendered difficult to ensure a fully planar and well ordered arrangement of the monomers in the polymer.
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Structural features are expected to improve the electron conductivity in the polymer as it should circumvent the mobility losses, which are usually associated to conformational disorders and weak interchain interactions. The targeted applications for such molecular material are mainly found in molecular electronics and in photovoltaics with the development of electroluminescent diodes, field effect transistors and materials for optics. In parallel, development of methods that allow the control of the stereochemistry of preorganized monomers should also lead to chiral helixes stabilized by pi-stacking. Such compounds will potentially exhibit high rotatory power.
Design of chirowaveguides
L. Guy
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Our objective is to synthesize chiral thin film built from appropriate chiral molecules that respect the requirements needed for the wave guiding properties. Those requirements are the following: (i) high OR in transparency region, (ii) large scale availabilities as pure enantiomers, (iii) isotropy. This project is in close relation with physicists from le ILM of Lyon but also proposes to supply elements for the better understanding of fundamental chemistry issues such as the relation molecular structure vs chiroptical properties.