Research Archive

Asymmetric Ion-Pairing in Stereoselective Vinyl Polymerization

This Perspective outlines some of the challenges inherent to polymer stereocontrol as well as highlights recent catalyst development in the area of asymmetric ion-pairing that has enabled control of both the configuration and conformation of vinyl polymers.

How Sugars Protect Dry Protein Structure

We employed liquid-observed vapor exchange nuclear magnetic resonance (LOVE NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) to show how trehalose and other sugars protect two model proteins: the B1 domain of streptococcal protein G (GB1) and truncated barley chymotrypsin inhibitor 2 (CI2).

Facile Synthesis of Key Building Blocks of D18 Series Conjugated Polymers for High-Performance Polymer Solar Cells

We redesigned the original synthetic scheme of D18, particularly the key monomer, 5,8-bis(5-bromo-4-(2-butyloctyl)thiophen-2-yl)dithieno[3′,2′:3,4;2″,3″:5,6]benzo[1,2-c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (Br2-T2-DTBT), and replaced a few key steps in the original scheme that were hard to reproduce and/or low yielding with simple to operate and high yielding reactions.

Development of New Reactions Driven by N-O Bond Cleavage: from O -Acyl Hydroxylamines to Tetrodotoxin

This Account describes new reactions that have been developed in the Johnson laboratories at UNC Chapel Hill enabled by considerations of N–O bond cleavage.

The Magical Power of Water: A Reminiscence of Herman Johan Christiaan Berendsen

A personal perspective on the scientific and social dimensions of interactions with Herman Berendsen from 1969 through 2019 shows how his intellect and character had an influence beyond his laboratory.

Visible light induced formation of a tungsten hydride complex

Here, we show that in the presence of pyridinium tetrafluoroborate, [CpW(CO)3]− reacts further to form a metal hydride complex CpW(CO)3H.

Uncovering Transport Mechanisms in Perovskite Materials and Devices with Recombination-Induced Action Spectroscopies

The class of action spectroscopies described in this Perspective leverages recombination-induced nonlinearities to distinguish lossy (fluorescence) and productive (photocurrent) processes within the active layers of photovoltaic cells.

Energy landscape design principle for optimal energy harnessing by catalytic molecular machines

Using an alternative geometrical approach, under fast temperature oscillation, we derive a general design principle for obtaining the optimal catalytic energy landscape that can harness energy from a temperature-oscillatory bath and use it to invert a spontaneous reaction.

Cellular Invasion Assay for the Real-Time Tracking of Individual Cells in Spheroid or Tumor-like Mimics

To improve the physiological relevance of such assays, we developed an assay format to track cellular movement throughout a uniform density of cells.

Synthesis and Surface Attachment of Molecular Re(I) Complexes Supported by Functionalized Bipyridyl Ligands

We report the synthesis of eleven 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) ligands functionalized for covalent immobilization on either metal oxide or hydrogen-terminated silicon surfaces.

Oxidative Addition of a Phosphinite P-O Bond at Nickel

Herein, we report the preferential oxidative addition of a phosphinite P−O bond at Ni over an N−H bond and interrogate both the mechanism of this bond activation and the microscopic reverse reaction by reconstructing the P−O bond using phosphorus electrophiles.

Isocyanide Ligands Promote Ligand-to-Metal Charge Transfer Excited States in a Rhenium(II) Complex

In the rhenium hexakis(arylisocyanide) complexes, [Re(CNAr)6]n+ (CNAr = 2,6-dimethylphenylisocyanide), the isocyanide ligands facilitate ligand-to-metal charge transfer transitions in the rhenium(II) species and metal-to-ligand charge transfer transition in the rhenium(I) species.