Camille Dreyfus Teacher Scholar Award, 1999-2004 Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar, 1997-2002 NSF CAREER Award, 1997-2002

Organic/Energy Science/Materials and Polymer Chemistry/Synthesis/Synthetic Methods Development

Organic, Organometallic, and Polymer Chemistry/Materials for Energy Conversion

Our research program involves the use of organic synthesis for the design, development, and application of new concepts in macromolecular, supramolecular, and materials chemistry. Our research efforts span a number of areas in the chemical sciences and include studies of (a) materials for solar energy conversion, (b) macromolecular systems that undergo structural changes in response to visible light and other stimuli, and (c) the influence of dendritic components of nanoscopic systems on phonic and electronic properties of materials.

"Electron Transfer Processes in Zinc Phthalocyanine-Phosphonic Acid Monolayers on ITO: Characterization of Orientation and Charge Transfer Kinetics By Waveguide Spectroelectrochemistry," Lin, H.-C.; Polaske, N.W.; Oquendo, L.E.; Gliboff, M.; Knesting, K.M.; Nordlund, D.; Ginger, D.S.; Ratcliff, E.L.; Beam, B.M.; Armstrong, N.R.; McGrath, D.V.; Saavedra, S.S. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 1154-1158. "Vanillin and o-vanillin oligomers as models for dendrimer disassembly," Kevwitch, R.M.; Shanahan, C.S.; McGrath, D.V. New J. Chem. 2012, 36, 492-505. "Phosphonic Acid Functionalized Asymmetric Phthalocyanines: Synthesis, Modification of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), and Charge Transfer," Polaske, N.W.; Lin, H.-C.; Tang, A.; Mayukh, M.; Oquendo, L.E.; Green, J.T.; Ratcliff, E.R.; Armstrong, N.R.; Saavedra, S.S.; McGrath, D.V. Langmuir 2011, 25, 14900-14909. "Thermally Reversible Dendronized AB Step-Polymers via "Click" Chemistry," Polaske, N.W.; McGrath, D.V.; McElhanon, J.R. Macromolecules 2011, 44, 3203-3210. "Peripheral Substitution of a Near-IR Absorbing Soluble Phthalocyanine Using 'Click' Chemistry," Mayukh, M.; Lu, C.-W.; Hernandez, E.; McGrath, D.V. Chem. Eur. J. 2011, 17, 8472-8478. "Solvent-Free Synthesis of Soluble, Near-IR Absorbing Titanyl Phthalocyanine Derivatives," Mayukh, M.; Sema, C.M.; Roberts, J.M.; McGrath, D.V. J. Org. Chem. 2010, 75, 7893-7896. "Convergent Synthesis of Geometrically Disassembling Dendrimers using Cu(I)-Catalyzed C-O Bond Formation," Polaske, N.W.; Szalai, M.L.; Shanahan, C.S.; McGrath, D.V. Org. Lett. 2010, 12, 4944-4947. "Polymeric Endoaortic Paving (PEAP): Thermomechanical and Degradation Properties of Polycaprolactone/Polyurethane Blends for Cardiovascular Applications," Ashton, J.H.; Mertz, J.A.; Harper, J.L.; Slepian, M.J.; Mills, J.L.; McGrath, D.V.; Vande Geest, J.P. Acta Biomaterialia 2010, 7, 287-294. "Improved Iterative Synthesis of Linearly Disassembling Dendrons," Ortiz, A.; Shanahan, C.S.; Sisk, D.T.; Perera, S.C.; Rao, P.; McGrath, D.V. J. Org. Chem. 2010, 75, 6154-6162. "Frustration of Condensed Phase Aggregation of Naphthalocyanine by Dendritic Site-Isolation," Chen, X.; Fernando, N.; McGrath, D.V. Macromolecules 2010, 43, 5512-5514. "Effect of Crosslinker Length and Composition on the Hydrophobicity and Thermomechanical Response of Acrylate-based Shape Memory Polymers," Warren P.D.; McGrath D.V.; Vande Geest J.P.� Macromolecular Materials and Engineering 2010, 295, 386-396.� "Thermally Reversible Dendronized Step-Polymers Based on Sequential Huisgen 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition and Diels-Alder "Click" Reactions," Polaske, N.W.; McGrath, D.V.; McElhanon, J.R. Macromolecules 2010, 43, 1270-1276. "Modification of Symmetrically Substituted Phthalocyanines Using Click Chemistry: Phthalocyanine Nanostructures by Nanoimprint Lithography," Chen, X.; Thomas, J.; Gangopadhyay, P; Norwood R.A.; Peyghambarian, N.; McGrath, D.V. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 13840-13843. "Synthesis of Chiral Amine-Imine Ligands and Their Application in Palladium-Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation," Chen, H.; Sweet, J.A.; Lam, K.-C.; Rheingold, A.L.; McGrath, D.V. Tetrahedron: Asymmetry 2009, 20, 1672-1682. "Synthesis and Study of Non-Aggregating Octasubstituted Dendritic Phthalocyanines, " Kernag, C.A; McGrath, D.V. Israel J. Chem. 2009 49, 9-21. "Asymmetric Phthalocyanine Synthesis by ROMP-Capture-Release." Chen, X.; Salmon III, T. R.; McGrath, D. V. Org. Lett. 2009 11, 2061-2064. "Site-isolated, Intermolecularly Photocrosslinkable and Patternable Dendritic Quinacridones," D'Ambruoso, G.D.; Ross, E.E.; Armstrong, N.R.; McGrath, D.V. Chem. Commun. 2009 3222-3224. "Synthesis and Degradation of Photolabile Dendrimers Based on o-Nitrobenzyl Ether Photolabile Cores," Kevwitch, R.M.; McGrath, D.V. New J. Chem 2007 31, 1332-1336. "EAP hydrogels for pulse-actuated cell system (PACS) architectures." Plata, R. Erik; Rogers, Hallena R.; Banister, Mark; Vohnout, Sonia; McGrath, Dominic V. Proc. SPIE 2007 6524 (Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2007), 65241T/1-65241T/8. "Dendrimers Based on Thermally Reversible Furan-Maleimide Diels-Alder Adducts," Szalai, M. L.; McGrath, D.V.; Wheeler, D.R.; Zifer, T.; McElhanon, J.R. Macromolecules 2007 40, 818-823. "Synthesis and Degradation of Photolabile Dendrimers Based on o-Nitrobenzyl Ether Photolabile Cores," Kevwitch, R.M.; McGrath, D.V. New J. Chem 2007 31, 1332-1336. "Langmuir and Grafted Monolayers of Photochromic Amphiphilic Monodendrons of Low Generations," Genson, Kirsten L.; Holzmuller, Jason; Villacencio, Ovette F.; McGrath, Dominic V.; Vaknin, David; Tsukruk, Vladimir V. J. Phys. Chem. B 2005 109, 20393-20402. "Dendrimer Disassembly as a New Paradigm for the Application of Dendritic Structures," McGrath, D.V. Molecular Pharmaceutics 2005 2, 253-263. "Dendritic incorporation of quinacridone: solubility, electrochemistry, and solid state luminescence," Ortiz, A.; Flora, W.H.; D'Ambruoso, G.D.; Armstrong, N.R.; McGrath, D.V. Chem. Commun. 2005 444-446. "Phototriggering of geometric dendrimer disassembly: an improved synthesis of 2,4-bis(hydroxymethyl)phenol based dendrimers," Szalai, M.L.; McGrath, D.V. Tetrahedron 2004 60, 7261-7266. "Photoswitchable Flexible and Shape-Persistent Dendrimers. Comparison of the Interplay between a Photochromic Azobenzene Core and Dendrimer Structure," Liao, L.-X.; Stellacci, F.; McGrath, D.V. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004 126, 2181-2185. "Geometric Disassembly of Dendrimers: Dendritic Amplification," Szalai, M.L.; Kevwitch, R.M.; McGrath, D.V. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003 125, 15688-15689. "Dendrimer Disassembly by Benzyl Ether Depolymerization," Li, S.; Szalai, M.L.; Kevwitch, R.M.; McGrath, D.V. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003 125, 10516-10517. "Non-aggregating octasubstituted dendritic phthalocyanines," Kernag, C.A.; McGrath, D.V. Chem. Commum. 2003 1048-1049. "Azobenzene-Containing Dendrimers." Villavicencio, O.F.; McGrath, D.V. Advances in Dendritic Macromolecules 2002 5, 1-44. "Synthesis of Photolabile Dendrimer Cores," Kevwitch, R.M.; McGrath, D.V. Synthesis 2002 1171-1176. "Hydrobenzoin-Based Rigid Chiral Polymer." Bieging, A.R.; Liao, L.-X.; McGrath, D.V. Chirality 2002 14, 258-263.

"Photochromic Dendrimers Containing Six Azobenzenes." Liao, L.-X.; Junge, D.M.; McGrath, D. V. Macromolecules. 2002 35, 319-322.