[Fri. 16 Jun. 2017] Prof. Martin Thuo/Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Iowa State University, USA

“Lessons from a droplet: From Conformational Analysis 

to Molecular Electronics and Heat-Free Solder”

What does an organic chemist has to do with droplets? Everything! Droplets embody both complexity and simplicity, as such they can be ignored as information poor. Droplets can, however, be a fascinating platform on which to apply well known chemical principles to create unique solutions to challenging problems, or as tools to introduce new knowledge to well-established fields. This talk will first highlight how a simple relation of Gibbs free-energy between a droplet and a surface can be used to understand conformational evolution in a molecular ensemble. Effect of molecular length in the so-called odd-even effect, in phase evolution, limiting gauche rotations, and related effects will be discussed. Extension of this simple analysis to molecular electronics enables one to decouple stereo-electronic properties of a molecule by coupling conformational effects to tensor algebra. With felicitous choice of molecular moieties, one can reveal the role of simple structural perturbations to charge transport by tunneling, an important advance in realization of functional molecular devices. Secondly, by engineer their structure, to incorporate a core-shell architecture, allows for rapid synthesis of liquid metal microparticles. Extension of this synthesis to a coupled mechano-chemical process leads to frustrated solidification (undercooling) of metal melts. These undercooled metal droplets are then deployed as heat-free solders and low-temperature inks in electronic packaging, flexible electronics, printed electronics, among a myriad of other uses. This talk will demonstrate how ‘listening’ to droplets can lead to otherwise unprecedented scientific and technological advances.

Prof. Martin Thuo

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Iowa State University, USA