The Pojman Research Team published a new study on using 1,1,2,2-tetraphenylethanediol (TPED) as a safer, shelf-stable alternative to peroxide initiators in the frontal polymerization of acrylates. TPED produces void-free materials, offering the added benefit of commercial availability and longer shelf life.
Chemistry
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LSU Chemistry is one of six departments in the College of Science and is designated as a Foundation of Excellence Department due to the outstanding accomplishments of our faculty, staff, and students in terms of teaching/learning, research, and service. Our department has LSU's largest Ph.D. program and is one of the best-equipped chemistry departments in the United States.
In the News
LSU's Antibiotic Breakthrough
Bacterial biofilms make chronic infections hard to treat, protecting bacteria from antibiotics with a tough layer of proteins, sugars, and DNA. But there's good news! LSU Chemistry Professor Mario Rivera and his research team have discovered a new class of antibiotics that break through these defenses by blocking bacteria’s access to iron, a vital nutrient they need to survive.
Fighting Cancer with Innovative Chemistry
Louisiana has one of the nation's highest state cancer rates, an issue partially related to dietary choices. An LSU Chemistry team is exploring how natural substances can be used to create new treatments for obesity and other conditions that can increase cancer risk.
Recent Publications
Bismuth clusters are non-toxic, non-radioactive, and promising catalysts for fine chemicals. The Baranets research group reports the first full structure of a rare [Pd@Bi₁₀]⁴⁺ cluster, revealing new insights into its bonding and electronic behavior.
The Pojman research team developed an innovative one-pot method for creating thiol-acrylate and thiol-epoxy coatings using ammonia as a catalyst, eliminating the need for volatile organic compounds and introducing a novel curing strategy for coatings.
Building molecules with all-carbon quaternary centers is a significant challenge in organic chemistry, and it is key to drug and material innovation. A newly published review by the Rivas Group highlights recent advances in light-driven and dual catalysis strategies to meet this challenge.
Wildfires destroy landscapes and disrupt how organic carbon (OC) moves through soil and ash, impacting water quality and ecosystems. A study including the Cook group and collaborators found wildfire sites in CA & NV had up to a 574% increase in mobile OC. Though ashes held more OC, soils released more, threatening watershed health and nature’s ability to filter water, prevent floods, and support life.
The Cook research group and collaborators published a study on the environmental impact of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, OH. The team investigated the hazardous byproducts formed from the combustion of chemicals in the presence of transition-metal oxides found in train and track materials, posing long-term environmental health risks.
Aluminum-based adjuvants enhance vaccines with their immunostimulatory properties and safety, yet their mechanisms remain unclear. The Xu group used SAXS and SANS to study their porous structures, revealing how nanoparticle morphology affects antigen retention and release. Their findings offer new insights for optimizing vaccine formulations through tailored adjuvant design.
Additive manufacturing enables on-demand production but poses supply chain security risks, like counterfeiting. In a new paper, Prof. Les Butler and collaborators present innovative methods to embed digital codes in components, enhancing authenticity.
The García-López group developed a new molecular switch based on rotaxanes that uses light to control the structure and dynamics of lipid membranes. Their recent paper presents a rotaxane with azobenzene photoswitches used to control the release of small molecules from lipid vesicles and to contract and expand giant vesicles of 30 µm.
Featured on the cover of Inorganic Chemistry, the Baranets group reveals two new quaternary oxyarsenides with potential for thermoelectric applications. The study discusses synthetic challenges, complex structures, transport and magnetic properties.