| Energy and health are two major issues in human lives. These issues have attracted the interest of a large number of researchers around the world. As a part of this effort, my graduate research is centered on the development of advanced materials for potential energy conversion and biological applications. My focus has been on syntheses and characterization of a series of materials based on fullerene C60, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), chromophores (pyrene, porphyrin derivatives), electron donors (dimethylaniline derivative) and bioactive species (alpha-D-mannose derivative). Some of these materials have been investigated for their photophysical properties relevant to uses in solar cells and optoelectronic devices. Others have been targeted for their biological activities for practical application in food and health sciences. For example, pyrene derivatives were synthesized and used in the functionalization of SWNTs and the hexakis-addition of C 60. Significant excited-state energy transfer in these systems was observed and evaluated. When SWNTs were functionahzed with porphyrin derivatives, energy transfer from excited porphyrin moieties to the linked nanotubes was found to be dependent on the length of the linker. Other porphyrin derivatives were also synthesized for studying non-covalent interactions with SWNTs, leading to a separation of semiconducting nanotubes from their metallic counterparts. The hexakis-adduct of C60 with 12 dimethylaniline moieties was synthesized, serving as a platform for building a variety of macromolecules in similar symmetry. In addition, a alpha-D-mannosylated SWNT sample was prepared and characterized for the biological evaluation. |
