Merck -luento 2019: Professori Rafal Klajn

Welcome to the invited lecture from 14.00-15.00 on 14th May 2019 by Prof. Rafal Klajn (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel), hosted by Aalto Distinguished Professor Olli Ikkala and sponsored by Merck.

Refreshments will be served in the U-lobby of Otakaari 1 after the lecture. Please register here by 6th May!

Title: From new dynamically self-assembling materials to chemical reactivities in confined environments.

Abstract: Living organisms are prominent examples of systems self-assembled and performing useful functions under far-from-equilibrium conditions. Inspired by Nature, we design new materials whose properties and functions can be “turned on” and “off” on demand, using external stimuli as “inputs”. Among the different external stimuli, we focus on light² since it can be delivered instantaneously, into precise locations, and in the form of different wavelengths. In this talk, I will discuss molecular switches and inorganic nanoparticles as the key building blocks of new dynamically self-assembling nanomaterials. These materials hold promise for new applications as diverse as light-controlled catalysis³. I will also describe how these studies led us to become interested in a more fundamental issue of chemical reactivity in confined environments. Among the different types of synthetic confined spaces we studied, I will focus on nanopores of porous aromatic frameworks⁴, surfaces of inorganic nanoparticles⁵, nanopores within non-close-packed nanoparticle arrays⁶, and cavities of coordination cages^7,8.

References:

1. Singh, G. et al., Science 2014, 345, 1149–1153.
2. Kundu, P. K. et al., Nat. Chem. 2015, 7, 646–652.
3. Zhao, H. et al., Nat. Nanotech. 2016, 11, 82–88.
4. Kundu, P. K. et al., Nat. Commun. 2014, 5, 3588.
5. Zdobinsky, T. et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 2711–2714.
6. Udayabhaskararao, T. et al., Science 2017, 358, 514–518.
7. Samanta, D. et al., Nat. Commun. 2018, 9, 641.
8. Samanta, D. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2018, 115, in press.