Dipartimento di Chimica

Maria Chiara Di Gregorio ha il piacere di invitarvi al seminario:

Crystals and Thin Films Made at the Weizmann Institute

di Michal Lahav, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Il seminario si terrà giovedì 6 marzo p.v. alle ore 10.30, in Sala Parravano (CU014).

 

Abstract

Enabling and understanding new methodologies to fabricate molecular assemblies driven by intermolecular interactions is fundamental in chemistry. Coordination chemistry can be used to control crystal growth and enables surface-onfinement of molecular materials, which remains challenging. Coordination-based polymers and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been explored since their discovery at the beginning of the 18th century. Such materials are generated by the dozens in a gold-rush-type search for properties mainly related to the storage and release of energy (e.g., hydrocarbons, dihydrogen). How the molecular components, metal salts and experimental conditions control the dimensions, shapes, chirality and homogeneity of these materials is barely known. Using achiral ligands that binds late-transition metals in a defined manner, we address issues related to the mechanism underlying the formation of hollow and chiral structures. In this overview, the formation and properties of our latest materials will be discussed: chiral MOFs the electrochromic properties of coordination-based films and a solvent-free on-surface crystal- to-co-crystal conversion process. This stepwise vapor-based approach offers a new strategy for the formation of hybrid supramolecular materials.

  

 

Dr. Michal Lahav

 

Michal Lahav earned her BSc and PhD in Chemistry in 2001 (cum laude) under the mentorship of Professor Itamar Willner at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She then completed postdoctoral research with Professor Israel Rubinstein at the Weizmann Institute of Science before moving to Harvard University to study nanochemistry with Professor George M. Whitesides. After three years in the United States, she returned to Israel, where she was appointed as a Scientific Advisor at the Weizmann Institute and later became an Associate Staff Scientist in the Department of Organic Chemistry in 2011. She is currently a Senior Staff Scientist in the Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science. Her work advances the fundamental understanding of the formation and electronic properties of metal-supramolecular architectures. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on the self-assembly of metal-organic materials for energy storage and electrochromics, with several products currently in the patenting process. These materials have been used to fabricate memory elements, charge storage devices, and supercapacitors, which have been successfully integrated with conventional printed circuit boards (PCBs). Notably, metal-organic materials possess a comprehensive range of electrochromic properties, including ultra-high coloration efficiencies and excellent cyclic stability. Importantly, these materials can be fabricated using green solvents and automated spray-coating, a method compatible with industrial roll-to-roll (R2R) processing. Funding for this research was provided by the Israel Innovation Authority, Yeda - Sela Center for Basic Research, US – Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), and Israel Science Foundation (ISF) and has resulted in industrial collaboration with Hanita coatings (a distinct business unit within Avery Dennison) and Flō Optics. Currently, she is collaborating with Professor Antonio Facchetti from Georgia Tech formation on materials for sensors and Solar Cells. She has published more than 85 papers, including articles in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Angewandte Chemie, Advanced Materials, Nature Communications, and ACS Nano (h-index = 35) – and has presented her work at many international conferences. In addition to mentoring and training graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in her lab, she developed and teaches a new graduate course in Electrochemistry. For several years, she has been involved with high school teachers studying for a Master's degree at the Weizmann Institute, and she also teaches Israeli-Arabic high school students from underdeveloped areas. Among her awards and honors are the Dr. Maxine Singer Prize for Outstanding Staff Scientists, the Baruch Zinger Award for Academic Excellence, the IVS Excellence Award for Surface Science Expertise, and the Schmidt Prize.