Research Archive
![](https://chem.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Functionalization-of-Benzotriazole-Based-Conjugated-Polymers-for-Solar-Cells-Heteroatom-vs-Substituents.png)
In this study, we systematically explore the impact of a variety of functional groups, including nitrogen heteroatoms, fluorine substituents, and cyano groups, on benzotriazole (TAZ)-based acceptor moieties that are incorporated into the conjugated polymers.
![](https://chem.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/μ-MIP-Molecularly-Imprinted-Polymer-Modified-Microelectrodes-for-the-Ultrasensitive-Quantification-of-GenX-HFPO-DA-in-River-Water.png)
Here, we present a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-modified microelectrode (r = 6.25 μm) sensor for the quantification of a pervasive environmental PFAS, GenX (HFPO-DA), in surface water obtained from the Haw River in North Carolina.
![](https://chem.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Stabilization-of-a-molecular-water-oxidation-catalyst-on-a-dye−sensitized-photoanode-by-a-pyridyl-anchor.png)
We demonstrate here that, following surface loading of a [Ru(bpy)3]2+ (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) chromophore on nanoparticle electrodes, addition of the molecular catalysts, Ru(bda)(L)2 (bda = 2,2′-bipyridine-6,6′-dicarboxylate) with phosphonate or pyridyl sites for water oxidation, gives surfaces with a 5:1 chromophore to catalyst ratio.
![](https://chem.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Reactive-Oxygen-Species-Mitochondrial-Membrane-Potential-and-Cellular-Membrane-Potential-Are-Predictors-of-E-Liquid-Induced-Cellular-Toxicity.png)
We tested e-liquids on the human cell line HEK293T and measured toxicity, mitochondria! membrane potential (Delta Psi(m)), reactive oxygen species production (ROS), and cellular membrane potential (V-m) using high-throughput screening (HTS) approaches.
![](https://chem.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Independently-Tuning-Elastomer-Softness-and-Firmness-by-Incorporating-Side-Chain-Mixtures-into-Bottlebrush-Network-Strands.png)
We explore a hierarchical bottom-up approach via architectural modulation of bottlebrush mesoblocks followed by their self-assembly into linear–brush–linear triblock copolymer networks.
![](https://chem.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Degradation-of-Block-Copolymer-Films-Confined-in-Elastic-Media-Molecular-Dynamics-Simulations.png)
We performed coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of swelling and degradation of copolymer films confined within polymer networks with different values of shear modulus.
![](https://chem.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Enabling-Aqueous-NiO-Photocathodes-by-Passivating-Surface-Sites-That-Facilitate-Proton-Coupled-Charge-Transfer.png)
Here, using first-principles calculations, we find that adsorption of water to a defective NiO(111) surface can result in intraband gap surface electronic states that are associated with hydroxyl and oxygen moieties adjacent to Ni vacancies.
![](https://chem.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Pseudomonas-Virulence-Factor-Pathway-Synthesizes-Autoinducers-That-Regulate-the-Secretome-of-a-Pathogen.png)
Using the insect pathogen Pseudomonas entomophila L48 as a model, we demonstrated that pvf-encoded biosynthetic enzymes produce PVF autoinducers that regulate the expression of pvf genes and a gene encoding the toxin monalysin via quorum sensing.
![](https://chem.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Elucidation-of-Quantum-Well-Specific-Carrier-Mobilities-in-Layered-Perovskites-1.png)
In this Letter, we use nonlinear photocurrent spectroscopy to selectively target charge transport processes within devices based on layered perovskite quantum wells. The photocurrent induced by a pair of laser pulses is directly measured in this “action” spectroscopy to remove ambiguities in signal interpretation.