Prof. Mike McGuirk shows crystals as you've never seen them -- on the DIGITAL GLOBE in the Lobby of CoorsTek.

"In Search of the Next Generation of Porous Crystals."

Professor Mike McGuirk, Department of Chemistry Materials Science Program

Free refreshments.

5pm on Wednesday, February 15 in the Lobby of CoorsTek. His work will be displayed on the Digital Globe!

"The manner of bonding between atoms or molecules influences the properties of materials. Perhaps no material family is more emblematic of this than porous crystals, wherein modes of connectivity give rise to discrete subclasses with unique collections of properties. However, established classes often have offsetting advantages and disadvantages for a given application. There is no universally applicable material, and the discovery of alternative ways to connect molecules is highly desirable. Our group has shown that chalcogen bonding, a recently recognized inter-molecular force, is a viable mode of connectivity in low-density porous crystals. We have shown that chalcogen bonding can template high-energy lattice structures and how crystal growth conditions can be rationalized to obtain molecularly programmed porous chalcogen-bonded organic frameworks (ChOFs). These results are the first evidence that this type of bonding can be used to advance the diversity of porous crystalline materials."

For more information, contact Mike McGuirk: cmmcguirk@mines.edu