The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Chemistry awarded a $438,432 Project Grant to the University of Rhode Island (URI) Research Office to explore novel thermal chemistry driven by visible light. Through this 3-year research program, URI will integrate synthetic organic chemistry, optical spectroscopies, computational modeling, and advanced analytical techniques to investigate how organic dyes can rapidly convert photon energy into localized heat to drive challenging thermal reactions under ambient conditions. The team will specifically focus on applying this "photoinduced molecular heating" concept to accelerate supramolecular catalytic processes by modulating host-guest interactions. This work will provide unique insights into molecular reactivity and product selectivity, with potential to access previously inaccessible synthetic pathways. The project also aims to train a diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students in these interdisciplinary research methods.
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