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The viscosity of the gutThe fluid interior of the intestine serves as a medium for the diffusion of nutrients and other molecules, and an environment in which gut microbes must navigate. Characterizing the physical properties of this fluid in living animals has proven difficult, however. The Parthasarathy Lab has developed new techniques making use of micro- and nano-particles, driven by thermal energy or magnetic fields, imaged inside living larval zebrafish. -
Light-Activated COS/H2S Donation from Photocaged ThiocarbamatesHydrogen sulfide (H2S) is an important biomolecule, and responsive chemical tools for its delivery are needed. Here the Pluth lab utilizes the photo-cleavable o-nitrobenzyl group to unmask caged thiocarbamates and to access photo-activated H2S releasing molecules. These donors function by the initial release of carbonyl sulfide (COS), which is quickly hydrolyzed to H2S by carbonic anhydrase (CA). -
High-K Lanthanum Zirconium Oxide Thin Film Dielectrics from Aqueous Solution PrecursorsMetal oxide thin films are critical components in a number of microelectronic applications. These nanomaterials are typically made using vapor-phase methods, but solution-phase methods are an attractive cost-efficient and scalable alternative. The Page Group reports an aqueous route to lanthanum zirconium oxide thin films and demonstrates their viability as MIS device components. -
Molecular Nanohoop Quantum CorralsControllable modification of metal surface electronic structure is essential for developing applications involving interfacial electron transfer. The Nazin and Jasti Labs used scanning tunneling microscopy to study cycloparaphenylenes (CPPs) on metal surfaces, finding unexpected "eye"-like electronic features in the center of individual hoop-shaped CPPs. These "eyes" are localized states formed by the confinement of surface electrons, with the CPPs acting as molecular electronic “corrals", suggesting an approach to robust, large-area modification of surface electronic structure. -
Modulation Doping in Metastable HeterostructuresControlling carrier concentration is critical in many device applications and both chemical substitution and modulation doping have been used in industry. For most inorganic materials, very low doping efficiencies are observed as site occupancies depend on both thermodynamic and kinetic factors. The Dave Johnson Group demonstrates that we can make kinetically controlled site-specific substitutions in a series of compounds. -
Prell Group introduces Collidoscope, a New Tool for Computing Ion Collisional Cross Sections"Native" ion mobility-mass spectrometry is emerging as a powerful method for learning about the structure and dynamics of biomolecular complexes transferred gently from buffered solution into the gas phase. Nevertheless, comparing experimental results to model structures can be very challenging due to the high computational cost of accurately calculating the collisional cross section of an ion, which is a measurement of its shape and size. The Prell Group has recently published an article detailing a new, open-source computational tool ("Collidoscope") they developed to make this possible for extremely large complexes weighing a megaDalton or more. -
Modulating Paratropicity Strength in Diareno-fused AntiaromaticsUnderstanding and controlling the electronic structure of molecules is crucial when designing and optimizing new organic materials. The findings of this study from the Haley lab can be used to predict the properties of, and thus rationally target, new diareno-fused antiaromatic molecules for use as organic semiconductors. -
Fluids by design using chaotic surface waves to create a metafluidWine may look the same as water with red food coloring, but pour them and you can immediately tell the difference by how they flow. These properties are inextricable linked with their molecular composition. To make water flow like wine one would need change the individual molecules. The CORWIN lab has created a new kind of fluid, constructed not from molecules but from chaotic waves, that circumvents this limitation. Unlike in traditional fluids, we can arbitrarily tune the viscosity. By this method we can easily achieve the twofold increase in viscosity necessary for transforming water into wine. -
A Stable Biradical Molecule Synthesized by the Haley GroupPolycyclic hydrocarbons with non-bonded electrons have desirable properties that can be exploited in organic solar cells and organic transistors. Typically, these biradical compounds are highly reactive and short-lived under ambient conditions. Now, the Haley group has prepared a new biradical compound with remarkable stability towards oxygen and heat, as reported in Nature Chemistry. At room temperature the molecule is non-magnetic, but when heated, a magnetic triplet state is accessed. -
Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) Donors Activated by Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) exhibits promising protective effects in many (patho)physiological processes. Herein, we report the design and evaluation of PeroxyTCM, which comprises the first class of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-triggered H2S releasing molecules. We demonstrate ROS-triggered H2S donation in live cells and demonstrate that PeroxyTCM-1 provides protection against H2O2-induced oxidative damage, suggesting potential future applications of PeroxyTCM in H2S-related therapies. -
Metallic Quantum FerromagnetsFerromagnetic metals at low temperatures display complex phase diagrams that are characterized by a multitude of different phase transitions and critical points, see the nearby phase diagram of UGe_2. In this comprehensive review article, Brando et al provide an overview of the experimentally observed properties of this fascinating class of materials, as well as their theoretical understanding. -
Visualizing physical mechanisms of competition between gut microbesThe factors that govern the stability and dynamics of the gut microbiota remain poorly understood. To address this issue, Wiles and Jemielita et al. used light sheet fluorescence microscopy to observe two competing bacterial species within the intestine of larval zebrafish. They found that the interplay between gut peristalsis and the spatial organization each species led to sudden population collapses of one but not the other constituent, and determined the outcome of their competition. -
Visualizing Conformation-Independent Molecular Electronic StructureCharge transport in polymer- and oligomer-based semiconductors depends strongly on the structural ordering of constituent molecules. Conformational variation influences the electronic structure of polymers and oligomers, impacting their charge-transport properties. Using their home-built scanning tunneling microscope to visualize particle-in-a-box-like molecular orbitals in real space, the Nazin Lab surprisingly found a low degree of conformation-induced electronic disorder in oligothiophenes adsorbed on Au(111), suggesting that conformational disorder may not be a large source of electronic disorder in oligothiophene-based devices. -
The Synthesis of Short Segments of Carbon NanotubesAromatic belts are strained, macrocyclic structures comprised of sp2 carbons that can be envisioned as short segments of carbon nanotubes. The synthesis of these molecules, driven by their potential to act as seeds for homogenous carbon nanotube growth, has challenged scientists for decades. The Jasti Laboratory has successfully prepared some of the largest fragments of an aromatic belt to date using ruthenium catalyzed ring-closing metathesis. This mild extension method acts as proof of concept towards the construction of aromatic belt nanohoops for the synthesis of uniform carbon nanotubes
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An Improved Method for H2S Detection - Pluth Lab in JACSCompounds that become fluorescent when hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is detected in the body have become important for studying the biological significance of this rotten egg-smelling gas. Unfortunately, these compounds also use up the H2S that it detects, which may have a profound impact on the physiological processes that utilize this important molecule. Recently, the Pluth Lab has developed an innovative method for H2S detection that replenishes H2S, providing the first example of analyte replacement in a reaction-based fluorescent probe. -
Johnson lab designs a facile route to old and new cyclophanes via self- assembly and captureThe Darren Johnson lab has developed a new route to prepare a class of compounds called cyclophanes. Cyclophanes are macrocyclic and/or cage compounds that often feature high strain, unusual conformations, and surprising properties. -
Bacteria swimming inside a live zebrafish gut, as viewed
through a microscope built by the Parthasarathy Lab.A sphere of membrane -- imaging techniques such as the one
shown here enable scientists from the Parthasarathy Lab to infer the
properties of membranes.
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A Stable Biradical Molecule Synthesized by the Haley GroupPolycyclic hydrocarbons with non-bonded electrons have desirable properties that can be exploited in organic solar cells and organic transistors. Typically, these biradical compounds are highly reactive and short-lived under ambient conditions. Now, the Haley group has prepared a new biradical compound with remarkable stability towards oxygen and heat, as reported in Nature Chemistry. At room temperature the molecule is non-magnetic, but when heated, a magnetic triplet state is accessed.
-
Fluids by design using chaotic surface waves to create a metafluidWine may look the same as water with red food coloring, but pour them and you can immediately tell the difference by how they flow. These properties are inextricable linked with their molecular composition. To make water flow like wine one would need change the individual molecules. The CORWIN lab has created a new kind of fluid, constructed not from molecules but from chaotic waves, that circumvents this limitation. Unlike in traditional fluids, we can arbitrarily tune the viscosity. By this method we can easily achieve the twofold increase in viscosity necessary for transforming water into wine.
-
Metallic Quantum FerromagnetsFerromagnetic metals at low temperatures display complex phase diagrams that are characterized by a multitude of different phase transitions and critical points, see the nearby phase diagram of UGe_2. In this comprehensive review article, Brando et al provide an overview of the experimentally observed properties of this fascinating class of materials, as well as their theoretical understanding.
-
Modulating Paratropicity Strength in Diareno-fused AntiaromaticsUnderstanding and controlling the electronic structure of molecules is crucial when designing and optimizing new organic materials. The findings of this study from the Haley lab can be used to predict the properties of, and thus rationally target, new diareno-fused antiaromatic molecules for use as organic semiconductors.
-
Prell Group introduces Collidoscope, a New Tool for Computing Ion Collisional Cross Sections"Native" ion mobility-mass spectrometry is emerging as a powerful method for learning about the structure and dynamics of biomolecular complexes transferred gently from buffered solution into the gas phase. Nevertheless, comparing experimental results to model structures can be very challenging due to the high computational cost of accurately calculating the collisional cross section of an ion, which is a measurement of its shape and size. The Prell Group has recently published an article detailing a new, open-source computational tool ("Collidoscope") they developed to make this possible for extremely large complexes weighing a megaDalton or more.
-
Modulation Doping in Metastable HeterostructuresControlling carrier concentration is critical in many device applications and both chemical substitution and modulation doping have been used in industry. For most inorganic materials, very low doping efficiencies are observed as site occupancies depend on both thermodynamic and kinetic factors. The Dave Johnson Group demonstrates that we can make kinetically controlled site-specific substitutions in a series of compounds.
-
Molecular Nanohoop Quantum CorralsControllable modification of metal surface electronic structure is essential for developing applications involving interfacial electron transfer. The Nazin and Jasti Labs used scanning tunneling microscopy to study cycloparaphenylenes (CPPs) on metal surfaces, finding unexpected "eye"-like electronic features in the center of individual hoop-shaped CPPs. These "eyes" are localized states formed by the confinement of surface electrons, with the CPPs acting as molecular electronic “corrals", suggesting an approach to robust, large-area modification of surface electronic structure.
-
High-K Lanthanum Zirconium Oxide Thin Film Dielectrics from Aqueous Solution PrecursorsMetal oxide thin films are critical components in a number of microelectronic applications. These nanomaterials are typically made using vapor-phase methods, but solution-phase methods are an attractive cost-efficient and scalable alternative. The Page Group reports an aqueous route to lanthanum zirconium oxide thin films and demonstrates their viability as MIS device components.
-
Light-Activated COS/H2S Donation from Photocaged ThiocarbamatesHydrogen sulfide (H2S) is an important biomolecule, and responsive chemical tools for its delivery are needed. Here the Pluth lab utilizes the photo-cleavable o-nitrobenzyl group to unmask caged thiocarbamates and to access photo-activated H2S releasing molecules. These donors function by the initial release of carbonyl sulfide (COS), which is quickly hydrolyzed to H2S by carbonic anhydrase (CA).
-
The viscosity of the gutThe fluid interior of the intestine serves as a medium for the diffusion of nutrients and other molecules, and an environment in which gut microbes must navigate. Characterizing the physical properties of this fluid in living animals has proven difficult, however. The Parthasarathy Lab has developed new techniques making use of micro- and nano-particles, driven by thermal energy or magnetic fields, imaged inside living larval zebrafish.
An interdisciplinary institute of the University of Oregon
Founded in 1985 as a State Center of Excellence, the purpose of the Institute is to study the structure and properties of materials, to educate in the sciences of materials, and to serve Oregon as a resource in these sciences. Since 1985 the Institute has more than tripled the size of its research program, developed four new graduate programs in materials, and contributed to the State's prosperity through collaboration with more than 25 Oregon companies.
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