![Dr. Dean Duncan Portrait](/chemistry/images/dean-duncan-image-3.jpg)
Dr. Dean Duncan
Lecturer
- B.S. in Chemistry
College of Charleston - Ph.D. in Chemistry
Emory University
Molecular Polynuclear Metal-Oxide Chemistry and Physics
Students in the Duncan research group investigate:
1) the chemistry and physics of polynuclear and supramolecular transition-metal complexes, particularly high-valent early-transition metal oxides known as polyoxometalates (POMs), which are probed via a combination of synthetic, spectroscopic, and computational approaches; these investigations include fundamental studies of structure, bonding, and reactivity of molecular metal oxides, and the thermodynamics of self-assembling systems; vibronic coupling, electron-transfer and mixed-valence dynamics at the nanometer length scale; protonation and proton transfer on metal oxide surfaces; photophysics and photochemistry at modified metal-oxide surfaces; and selective catalytic oxidations under mild conditions.
2) the modification of electroactive surfaces by covalent attachment of these metal oxide complexes to create high dielectric thin films, sensors, electro/photochromic films, and electrocatalytic surfaces;
3) using these complexes as modular components for the construction of functional nanostructured materials that are spatially organized so as to promote a higher-order integrated function (e.g. molecular electronics, complex multi-step thermal and photoinduced catalytic reactions, and artificial photosynthesis).
Scheme 1. Principal properties and targeted research areas enabled by access to organoimido functionalized polyoxometalates (POMs). The alpha-[XW12O39(NR)]n- structure shown consists of a central [XO4]n- tetrahedron (typically phosphate) encapsulated by eleven WO3 units (depicted as WO6 octahedra fused at edges and corners) and one WO2(NR) imido fragment.