MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a Single-Crystal X-ray Diffractometer to Support Primarily Undergraduate Research in the Greater Susquehanna Valley

This award is jointly supported by the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation (CRIF) programs. Susquehanna University is acquiring a diffractometer with a sealed-tube copper X-ray source, a charge-integrated pixel array detector and a liquid-nitrogen-fueled low temperature cooling device to support the research of William Dougherty Jr. (Susquehanna University), Brian Smith (Bucknell University), and colleagues at both institutions. In general, an X-ray diffractometer allows accurate and precise measurements of the full three-dimensional structure of a molecule, including bond distances and angles, and provides accurate information about the spatial arrangement of a molecule relative to neighboring molecules. The studies described here will impact many areas, including organic and inorganic chemistry, catalysis, and materials chemistry. This instrument is an integral part of teaching as well as research and research training of undergraduate and graduate master’s students in multiple disciplines including chemistry and biochemistry at these institutions. The instrument will serve as a regional resource for the greater Susquehanna valley benefiting faculty and students at additional primarily undergraduate institutions including collaborative efforts with Lycoming College, Elizabethtown College, and Wilkes University. The award is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels. Research enabled by the instrument is focused on the synthesis, structure determination, and applications of small molecules, covalent organic frameworks (COFs), nanomaterials, and supramolecular structures. The supported research will advance the fundamental understanding of synthetic pathways, aid in the development of new therapeutic platforms and imaging agents, provide insight into the varied mechanisms of crystal growth and explore the relationship between small-molecule design and the resulting electronic and structural properties. The compounds under investigation have applications in material science including the development of new catalysts, specialized filtration, the generation of more efficient photovoltaic devices and the creation of selective chemical sensors. Other proposed projects have applications in the field of medicine through the generation of complexes with anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, efficient contrast agents for imaging, and improving crystallization approaches in pharmaceutical formulation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.