Syntheses of light-harvesting redox-active transition metal-based molecules
Research in the Smucker laboratory investigates the syntheses and properties of new light-harvesting inorganic molecules that have potential applications as dyes in solar cells or as light-driven catalysts. Our research seeks to capitalize on the photophysical properties available with metal complexes using imine and dithiolene ligands. Our synthetic framework begins with a dithiolene-chromophore which is coordinated to a metal containing monotopically-coordinated divergent diimine ligands. These will serve as building blocks for light-harvesting molecules and extended structures. Students in the Smucker laboratory learn synthetic techniques both in air & air-free (Schlenk), crystal growth, and gain experience using a breadth of instrumental analysis including: X-ray Crystallography, NMR Spectroscopy, Electrochemistry, UV-vis spectroscopy, and IR spectroscopy.