Prelim Defense – Tori Lee

About the event

Speaker: Tori Lee

Group: Dr. Jack Zhang

Title: Fundamental Irradiation Studies and Emission Tuning in MOFs

Abstract: Despite the importance of demonstrating efficacy of MOFs in their proposed materials applications, research must also be devoted to establishing foundational trends in framework characteristics. The lack thereof is apparent in the nuclear field, where surprisingly few studies have focused on MOF behavior under irradiation. Within these, closed-shell configuration metals, strongly pi-conjugated ligands, and limited electron-donating groups have been suggested as factors of flux stability. However, the short extent of these findings invites further research on this topic.

For example, the impact of metal coordination geometry in these structures can greatly influence their durability. This feature is best investigated through a system with a flexible ligand, like ETTC, that will facilitate the formation of related framework phases that differ in metal connectivity and overall topology. Studies of this nature will enhance our understanding of MOFs in the nuclear field, thus improving practical applications like radioisotope processing. To illustrate, the production of 177Lu, crucial to sensing and treatment of prostate cancer, will be efficiently improved by a MOF that is knowingly designed to withstand the influences in this synthetic environment.

While beneficial to these nuclear studies, the ETTC ligand is more commonly recognized for its unique luminescent properties. When integrated into a MOF, such as in PCN-128, restraining this ligand through framework bonding alters its emission character. By inserting secondary ligands into PCN-128, we can further perturb the conformation of ETTC and its emission while simultaneously functionalizing the framework, which was previously limited by the resistance of ETTC to synthetic enhancements.