Department News
Kathleen Riley is the recipient of the 2021 Colonial Metal George Benvengo Memorial Student Award. The award recognizes a student’s work in performing fundamental or applied research focusing on any precious metals.
We are pleased to announce the promotion of Thomas Freeman from teaching assistant professor to teaching associate professor.
Through participation in NIIMBL and engagement with partners like NC State’s Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), UNC aims to continue developing technologies and innovations that meet the needs of North Carolina’s biopharmaceutical industry.
Our Spring/Summer 2021 alumni newsletter is here! The newsletter includes updates from the department on the many exciting initiatives and events occurring year-round.
Research
The ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) transitions of [Re(dmpe)3]2+ (dmpe = bis-1,2-(dimethylphosphino)ethane) were interrogated using UV/Vis absorbance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and time-dependent density functional theory.
Here we elucidate the fundamental factors controlling the two binding modes and determining which is favored for a given metal–ligand system, using both quantitative density functional theory (DFT) and qualitative molecular orbital (MO) analyses.
We explore a series of regioregular polythiophenes having TCSs and hexyl side chains by varying the ratio of different side chains, from 0 mol % TCSs to 100 mol % TCSs at an increment of 20 mol %.
We designed and synthesized a random copolymer (RP-3T) by inserting unsubstituted terthiophenes into regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene)s.
Department Spotlights
July Staff Spotlight: Matt Verber
Matt Verber, M.S., is an electronics engineer in the Engineering Innovations Lab (EIL), a core lab in Chemistry. He provides expertise in hardware design, both analog and digital, and software design, with an emphasis on signal processing, data analysis, and algorithm development. Recently, Matt worked with Dr. Jeffrey Dick’s lab to design a low-cost sensor array and associated multiplexing hardware to detect PFAS, a contaminant in drinking water. Matt works with investigators across campus, including Dr. Ian Shih’s lab in the School of Medicine, where he designed a combined head plate/RF coil to improve MRI imaging of mice in pre-clinical studies.
Within EIL, Matt is directing DataSpace, an effort to provide data-centric resources to Chemistry and across the University. Through DataSpace, Matt develops software in Matlab and Python, applying signal processing, machine learning, and other statistical techniques to improve and automate data analysis. Matt developed Python workshops and lab exercises for CHEM 441L and 742L to introduce students to programming, data visualization, and statistical analysis through Jupyter Notebooks. Currently, Matt is expanding these efforts into big data with Dr. Liz Brunk by developing standardized ohmics data pipelines as educational tools.