Materials Chemistry

Solid-state and molecular synthesis of f-element and main group metal systems. Combining high-pressure conditions, synchrotron X-ray techniques and computational predictions to elucidate the electronic structure of new compounds with applications in energy transport and information storage.

Electrochemical measurement and instrumentation, with special attention to ion transport and electron transfer at small scales.

First principles computational chemistry and physics methods to investigate electronic, kinetic, thermodynamic, transport, and properties of materials.

Solid-state and materials chemistry with an emphasis on metastable compounds, electronic phase transitions, theory-guided materials design, electronic structure, development of synchrotron methods for imaging and spectroscopy, energy conversion and storage, and functional coatings.

Surface and interfacial phenomena, including charge transport in organic molecules, nanoparticle catalysis, semiconducting and 2D nanomaterials, plasmonics, tribology, "smart" surfaces, and self-organizing nanoscale materials for device applications.

The Bluemel research interests span from inorganic, organometallic, and surface chemistry, to catalysis and polymer chemistry. Multinuclear NMR spectroscopy of dia- and paramagnetic liquids and solids is applied and further developed as a powerful method in all fields.

Fundamental explorations into the structure and mechanism of transition metal catalysts that underlie applications in carbon dioxide utilization, with a focus on the production of polymeric materials.

Design of transition and rare earth metal compounds with conducting and magnetic properties. Applications of supramolecular chemistry of anions and organic radicals in the design of functional materials and drugs. Anticancer properties of photochemically activated metal drug complexes for photodynamic therapy. Metal-metal bonded complexes as solar photochemical and electrochemical catalysts for water and carbon dioxide reduction.

Organic and polymer synthesis, physical organic investigation, and process engineering of functional π-conjugated systems for electronic, photonic, and energy applications.

Chemistry of Lewis acidic and electrophilic compounds containing main group elements and late transition metals; applications in the area of anion sensing, imaging, catalysis and energy storage. 

Structure-property relationships in polymer-nanoparticle systems (nanocomposites and thin films)  for real world applications such as gas separation, flame retardancy and thermoelectric energy generation (e.g., turning body heat into useful voltage).

Developing new materials to improve the performance of medical devices and regenerative engineering therapies. Several specific research areas include anti-fouling coatings for blood-contacting devices & marine applications, self-cleaning membranes for implanted biosensors, shape memory polymer scaffolds & inorganic-organic hydrogel scaffolds for bone healing, and ultra-strong hydrogels as synthetic cartilage.

Mechanistic-driven design and development of new sustainable, catalytic, and asymmetric transformations that can be adapted by the organic, organometallic, and bio(in)organic in the synthesis of medicinally-active compounds

Solid state chemistry, synthesis and structure of clusters and extended metal-metal bonded arrays, molecular orbital and bond theory applied to clusters and solids, and electronic control of structures and properties.

New methods for polymer synthesis and functionalization of complex molecules; sequence-controlled polymerization; design of conjugated polymers for electronic devices and energy storage/conversion.

Experimental inorganic chemistry with research interests in magnetization dynamics of heterometallic coordination complexes, catalytic conversion of energy relevant substrates, and supramolecular approaches for imaging and therapy.

Application of fundamental organic chemistry reactions to the modification and functionalization of small molecules, polymers, and particles to prepare new composite architectures, and use of these structures to realize properties not possible with current state-of-the-art systems.

Organometallic and inorganic synthesis for the development of new strategies for oxidation chemistry. Investigation of the structures of reactive intermediates and the effects of confinement and proximity on organic reactions.

Development of mass spectrometry instrumentation and methodology for molecular surface analysis at the nanoscale, applications include the characterization of nano-objects, macromolecular architectures, 2D-materials and the co-localization of molecules at catalytic sites and on biological surfaces.

Spectroscopy, optical and scanning probe microscopies, materials science, nanoscience, focusing on optical behavior of nanoscale materials with applications in solar energy, photocatalysis, and more broadly, photochemistry and nanophotonics.

Energy & charge transfer process in nanocrystalline semiconductor and metallic materials and their heterostructures, time-resolved and spatially resolved spectroscopy, applications in energy harvesting, photonics and photocatalysis.

Synthetic strategies for degradable polymers derived from natural products, unique macromolecular architectures and complex polymer assemblies, designed for practical implementation in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, as non-toxic anti-biofouling or anti-icing coatings, as materials for microelectronics device applications, or as pollutant remediation systems.

Inorganic and materials chemistry, focusing on design and synthesis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) applied to energy-related research (e.g., CO2 capture, H2 storage), catalysis, and biomedical applications.