Sustainability & Green Chemistry

Research in the Bergbreiter group focuses on polymer, organic, catalysis, and surface chemistry and involves modifying polymers, inventing sustainable safe solvents, and making synthetic and catalysis chemistry greener.

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.

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

The Fout research program focuses on the synthesis of ligand architectures that can support transition metal complexes capable of mediating unusual transformations for biological, environmental and energy problems. Our main curiosities stem from catalytic, synthetic inorganic, and bioinorganic chemistry. Specifically, the group is interested in using synthesis, reactivity, and detailed mechanistic studies to probe the activation of strong bonds with sustainable catalysts.

Current research centers around organometallic chemistry, and branches into catalysis, organic synthesis, enantioselective reactions, stereochemistry, mechanism, and materials and green chemistry. Present initiatives include enantioselective and recoverable catalysts, and organometallic building blocks for molecular wires  and gyroscopes.

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).

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

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

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.

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.

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.

New synthetic methodologies with special attention to late-stage functionalization of complex molecules and boron chemistry; new therapeutic approaches with special attention to targeted protein degradation; structure-based drug discovery.

Development and application of novel mass spectrometric methodologies in disease diagnosis, reaction mechanistic study, and development of new synthetic methods.

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.