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Andrea's Project Page |
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Intern: Andrea Burbank, Stanford
Mentor: Paul Forster
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. A.K. Cheetham
Department: Materials |
NEW OPEN-FRAMEWORK METAL CARBOXYLATES
The synthesis and characterization of open-framework materials with pores up to a nanometer in diameter constitute a quickly developing field in chemistry, due to these materials’ interesting structures and their potential applications in ion exchange, catalysis, and separations. Newly synthesized materials with high porosities could complement the current use of porous compounds in applications as diverse as water softeners and catalytic converters with new functions: pores used to store hydrogen in fuel cells or catalyze a variety of chemical reactions, for example. Metal carboxylates are among the classes of compounds currently being explored for their capability to form multi-dimensional frameworks that typically join metal ion centers via organic carboxylate bridges to create a hybrid inorganic/organic material with interesting chemical properties. My work has focused on exploring new synthetic methods and determining crystal structures of new metal carboxylates, including copper adipate, iron glutarate, cobalt succinate, cobalt 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate, and various other transition metal-based hybrid materials. Though all based on the same starting principle of bridging carboxylates, each of these exhibits remarkably different chemistry, from one-dimensional chains to two-dimensional sheets connected in discrete layers by metal centers and organic linkages. Development and analysis of these materials provide not only an interesting window into nanochemistry but also the potential for novel applications of the pores, channels, and chains that these compounds display.
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