Dr. Christopher Bejger’s NSF CAREER Award

Professor Christopher Bejger has received an NSF CAREER Award from the Solid State and Materials Chemistry program in the Division of Materials Research to develop a new class of redox-active metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) comprising transition metal chalcogenide (TMC) molecular clusters. TMC clusters exhibit rich electrochemical behavior and have a propensity to undergo reversible, multi-electron transfer events. However, their use in MOF chemistry is limited by a lack of suitable synthetic protocols and the MOF field remains dominated by metal-oxide materials. The Bejger lab will study these new materials for energy storage applications. The educational component of this proposal seeks to increase civic engagement with materials chemistry through the lens of architecture and design. A pop-up museum will be planned and fabricated as a collaborative project with Professor Rachel Dickey and the UNC Charlotte School of Architecture. The outreach plan is multifaceted to emphasize links between MOF topology, reticular synthesis, and architecture. The ideas presented in the museum concept will be disseminated and developed into a curriculum for local teachers through a partnership with the Charlotte Teachers Institute (CTI).

More information about the project can be found here. To learn more about the Bejger lab, click here.