Dominic V Mcgrath

Dominic V Mcgrath

Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry-Sci
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Primary Department
Department Affiliations
Contact
(520) 626-4690

Research Interest

Dominic Mcgrath, PhD, set forth a program which involves the use of organic synthesis for the design, development, and application of new concepts in macromolecular, supramolecular, and materials chemistry. Research efforts span a number of areas in the chemical sciences and include studies of: 1) chiral dendritic macromolecules and the effect of chiral subunits on dendrimer conformation, 2) photochromic dendrimers and linear polymers which undergo structural changes in response to visible light, 3) liquid crystalline materials based on dendritic and photochromic mesogens, and 4) synthesis of new ligands based on saturated nitrogen heterocycles.A continuing interest remains in the effect of structural perturbations on the properties and functional of dendritic macromolecules. Part of this research addresses the design, synthesis, and study of dendrimeric materials containing chiral moieties in the interior for influencing the conformational order of these 3-dimensional macromolecules. An ultimate goal is to develop materials active for the selective clathration of small guest molecules. Potential applications include chemical separations, sensor technology, environmental remediation, and asymmetric catalysis.Dr. Mcgrath and his lab team recently developed several new classes of dendritic materials containing photochromic subunits. As nature uses light energy to alter function in photoresponsive systems such as photosynthesis, vision, phototropism, and phototaxis, they use light energy to drive gross topological or constitutional changes in fundamentally new dendritic architectures with precisely placed photoresponsive subunits. In short, they can drive dendrimer properties with light stimuli. Two entirely new classes of photoresponsive dendritic macromolecules have been developed and include: 1) photochromic dendrimers and 2) photolabile dendrimers. Dr. Mcgrath anticipates that switchable and degradable dendrimers of this type will have application in small molecule transport systems based on their ability to reversibly encapsulate guest molecules. He continues to develop these materials as potential transport hosts and photoresponsive supramolecular assemblies.

Publications

Genson, K. L., Vaknin, D., Villacencio, O., McGrath, D. V., & Tsukruk, V. V. (2002). Microstructure of amphiphilic monodendrons at the air-water interface. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 106(43), 11277-11284.

Abstract:

Grazing incident X-ray diffraction and X-ray reflectivity have been performed on Langmuir monolayers of low generation monodendrons containing a crown-ether polar group, azobenzene spacer, and varying number of peripheral alkyl chains of 1, 2, 4, and 8. We observe that the cross-sectional mismatch between the bulky polar head and the alkyl tails has a profound effect on the local ordering of the alkyl tails. It is found that the alkyl chains in a single-tail molecule are significantly tilted away from the surface normal. The tilt is eliminated in molecules with two or more alkyl chains where the cross-sectional mismatch is in favor of the peripheral tails. The molecule with one tail possesses a supercell orthorhombic packing caused by structural nonequivalency on the neighboring tails. The two- and four-tail molecules form a mixed structure best described by a quasi-hexagonal unit cell, and the eight-tail molecule forms a more stable hexagonal unit cell. Peripheral tails for these molecules are in standing-off orientation. We suggest that the steric constraints cause lower correlations and a staggered packing structure of monolayers from the eight-tail molecule. We suggest that branching alkyl tails off the same phenyl ring and the presence of the phenyl rings in the vicinity of the branching are limiting factors on the chain packing at the air-water interface in monodendrons with multiple peripheral tails. We conclude that a significant portion of the molecules is submerged in the water subphase and possesses a "kink" shape.

Ehamparam, R., Oquendo, L. E., Liao, M. W., Brynnel, A. K., Ou, K., Armstrong, N. R., Mcgrath, D. V., & Saavedra, S. S. (2017). Axially Bound Ruthenium Phthalocyanine Monolayers on Indium Tin Oxide: Structure, Energetics, and Charge Transfer Properties. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 9(34), 29213-29223. doi:http://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b07394
Polaske, N. W., Lin, H., Tang, A., Mayukh, M., Oquendo, L. E., Green, J. T., Ratcliff, E. L., Armstrong, N. R., Saavedra, S. S., & McGrath, D. V. (2011). Phosphonic acid functionalized asymmetric phthalocyanines: synthesis, modification of indium tin oxide, and charge transfer. Langmuir, 27(24). doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/la203126c

Metalated and free-base A(3)B-type asymmetric phthalocyanines (Pcs) bearing, in the asymmetric quadrant, a flexible alkyl linker of varying chain lengths terminating in a phosphonic acid (PA) group have been synthesized. Two parallel series of asymmetric Pc derivatives bearing aryloxy and arylthio substituents are reported, and their synthesis and characterization through NMR, combustion analysis, and MALDI-MS are described. We also demonstrate the modification of indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates using the PA functionalized asymmetric Pc derivatives and monitoring their electrochemistry. The PA functionalized asymmetric Pcs were anchored to the ITO surface through chemisorption and their electrochemical properties characterized using cyclic voltammetry to investigate the effects of PA structure on the thermodynamics and kinetics of charge transfer. Ionization energies of the modified ITO surfaces were measured using ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy.

Kernag, C. A., Bobbitt, J. M., & McGrath, D. V. (1999). Mild and convenient oxidation of aromatic heterocyclic primary alcohols by 4-acetylamino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxoammonium perchlorate. Tetrahedron Letters, 40(9), 1635-1636.

Abstract:

Hydroxymethyl substituted aromatic heterocycles, including pyridines, furans, and thiophenes, are oxidized to the corresponding aldehydes in excellent yields by 4-acetylamino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1- oxoammonium perchlorate (1) with minimal workup.

McElhanon, J. R., Wu, M., Escobar, M., & McGrath, D. V. (1996). Toward chiral dendrimers with highly functionalized interiors. Dendrons from synthetic AB2 monomers. Macromolecules, 29(27), 8979-8982.