Katherine C Elbert

University of Pennsylvania | UP · Department of Chemistry

The execution and analysis of complex experiments are challenged by the vast dimensionality of the underlying parameter spaces. Although an increase in data-acquisition rates should allow broader querying of the parameter space, the complexity of experiments and the subtle dependence of the model function on input parameters remains daunting owing...

The use of nanocrystal (NC) building blocks to create metamaterials is a powerful approach to access emergent materials. Given the immense library of materials choices, progress in this area for anisotropic NCs is limited by the lack of co-assembly design principles. Here, we use a rational design approach to guide the co-assembly of two such aniso...

Colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) with tunable electronic, optical, properties and rich opportunities for surface functionalization are impacting many areas of heterogeneous catalysis. In this talk, I will briefly outline the current state of the art in synthesis, purification, and integration of single-phase NCs and core-shell (heterostructures) and he...

Investigation of charge transfer in quantum dot (QD) systems is an area of great interest. Specifically, the relationship between capping ligand and rate of charge transfer has been studied as a means to optimize these materials. To investigate the role of ligand interaction on the QD surface for electron transfer, we designed and synthesized a ser...

Studies on nanocrystal (NC) self-assembly into ordered superlattices have focused mainly on attractive forces between the NCs. Studies of the role of organic ligands on anisotropic NCs are only in their infancy. Herein, we report the use of a series of dendrimer ligands to direct the assembly of nanoplates into 2D and 3D geometries. It was found th...

Substitutional doping is a potentially powerful technique to control the properties of nanocrystal (NC) superlattices (SL). However, not every NC can be substituted into any lattice, as the NCs have to be close in size and shape, limiting the application of substitutional doping. Here we show that this limitation can be overcome by employing ligand...

Nanoparticle (NP) stability is imperative for commercialization of nanotechnology. In this study, we compare the stability of Au NPs with surfaces functionalized with oleylamine, dodecanethiol, and two dendritic ligands of different generations. The dendrimer ligands provide a significant increase in the chemical stability of the Au NPs when analyz...

An optically active metallo-polymer assembly is demonstrated via conjugation of a genetically engineered elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) and a ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complex. By taking advantage of the phase transition of ELPs in water, photophysical properties of the resultant conjugate are investigated for both phases, below and above the criti...

Controlling nanoparticles’ (NPs) surface polarity, colloidal stability, and self-assembly into well-defined complex architectures is of paramount importance for emergent nano- and biotechnologies, and each depends strongly on the ligand shell composition and chemical nature. In this study, a series of dendritic ligands with hydrophobic, hydrophilic...

Rare earth nanocrystals (RE NCs) are a valuable class of nanomaterials due to their ability to bring the attractive properties of rare earth bulk cystals to biomedical applications and solution-processable engineering. Of the bottom-up synthesis approaches, solvothermal methods yield highly crystalline and monodisperse RE NCs. Herein, we report a p...

This project was conducted in the laboratory of Professor Christopher B. Murray at the University of Pennsylvania. The project described herein includes the synthesis of a Janus dendrimer as well as complimentary dendrimers of hydrophobic and hydrophilic nature to study the self-assembly and organizational properties of these molecules on gold surf...

Inorganic-organic hybrid materials such as organically templated metal oxides, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and organohalide perovskites have been studied for decades, and hydrothermal and (non-aqueous) solvothermal syntheses have produced thousands of new materials that collectively contain nearly all the metals in the periodic table. Neverthel...

Hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions are slower by two orders of magnitude in base than in acid on Pt and other metal catalysts. ¹ It is important to understand the cause and to develop catalysts that are more active than Pt in base for advancing the performance of anion-exchange-membrane fuel cells and water electrolyzers. Here, we detail a...

The structural adaptability of [V3O5(SeO3)3]n2n− layers in organically templated vanadium selenites was determined using a three step approach involving (i) an 84 reaction study with 14 distinct organic amines and 6 different reaction conditions, (ii) decision tree construction using both dependent and independent variables, and (iii) the derivatio...

Hydrogen oxidation and evolution on Pt in acid are facile processes, while in alkaline electrolytes, they are 2 orders of magnitude slower. Thus, developing catalysts that are more active than Pt for these two reactions is important for advancing the performance of anion exchange membrane fuel cells and water electrolyzers. Herein, we detail a 4-fo...

We describe the design and synthesis of a new graphene ribbon architecture that consists of perylenediimide (PDI) subunits fused together by ethylene bridges. We created a prototype series of oligomers consisting of the dimer, trimer, and tetramer. The steric congestion at the fusion point between the PDI units creates helical junctions, and longer...