Grant Boosts ‘Self-Assembling’ Molecule Research at IU

(Image Courtesy: Indiana University) The ring-shaped image represents macromolecule tricarbazolo triazolophane

Researchers at Indiana University have received $1.2 million from the National Science Foundation for their work focusing on "self-assembling" molecules and software for solar technology. Chemistry Professor Amar Flood, who is principal investigator, says the team’s results would represent a "transformative approach" to the discovery of organic materials.

IU says the approach brings together computer-aided design, chemical synthesis and molecular characterization methods.

The project is bringing together a team that includes the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Chemistry in Bloomington and a former researcher at IU, Mu-Hyun Baik of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

Flood says "there are more than 100 million known molecules, but in the vast majority of cases we cannot predict what sort of structure they will form when those molecules start packing together. We want to be able to predict, as well as design, those structures."

You can connect to additional details about the research by clicking here.