Coordinator: Prof. Muhammad Khan / College of Science 

Abstract:

Oman has 0.3% of the world’s crude oil reserve, which has started to decline from 2015. This is a matter of serious concern because the energy demand for the rapidly developing Omani society is increasing exponentially. Hence an alternative and sustainable energy is of strategic importance to the Sultanate. Fortunately, Oman with its plentiful sunshine has an ideal environment for solar energy research. Solar energy has emerged as a potential non-contaminating energy source and is the first choice of every researcher in the energy sector. Researchers are working worldwide for the development of solar cell (SC), a smart device for the conversion of sunlight to electrical energy using new generation donor materials as the active component. An equally important strategy in sustainable energy research is to conserve the much-needed energy using organic light emitting diode (OLED), an electronic device to generate light upon the application of potential using organic as well as metal-organic hybrid materials. Energy researchers are working towards the development of high performance OLEDs with a view to replacing high-energy consuming devices. The major focus of the Materials Chemistry Research Group (MCRG) at SQU is the design and development of new generation functional materials for applications in opto-electronic devices such as SCs and OLEDs with a minor focus on the design and synthesis of organic and metal-organic framework (MOF) materials for biomedical applications such as tumor imaging, pharmacological studies, etc. Materials chemistry constitutes interdisciplinary research dealing with a variety of materials including, but not limited to metals, ceramics, semiconductors, composites and polymers. Among this gigantic family of materials, conjugated organic, organo-metallic, coordination compounds and polymers have attracted a huge community of researchers around the globe as they serve as active materials in various opto-electronic (O-E) devices such as SCs, OLEDs. Research in materials chemistry deals with the design and synthesis of new materials and investigates their structure-property relationships. Chemical characterization, physical measurements and computational studies are used to forge a link between the structures and properties of the new materials. The group leader of the MCRG has a long-standing interest in this area and discovered many fascinating functional materials and their opto-electronic and biomedical applications. These include, but are not limited to, poly-ynes and poly(metalla-ynes), heavy metal ion induced population of triplet excitons, photo-voltaic effect in poly-ynes and poly(metalla-ynes), long-range intermolecular communication in metal-organic systems, lanthanide coordination compounds as active layer in OLEDs, single-component white-OLEDs, etc. The objectives of the MCRG include: (i) design and synthesis of novel conjugated organometallic and organic polymers and lanthanide coordination compounds for SCs and OLEDs; (ii) design and synthesis of organic and MOF materials for biomedical applications; (ii) development of novel synthetic protocols, superior characterization techniques and processing methods with a view to creating new materials and transforming existing materials to improve their performance for a particular application. This will not only allow the development of new functional materials with intriguing properties and applications for the energy and healthcare sectors, but also develop scientific, research skills and expertise in the Sultanate. This will be achieved by providing training to the graduate students, technical staffs, research assistants, young faculty and developing laboratory and pilot scale materials research facilities in the Department of Chemistry at SQU. The coordinated activities of the MCRG will be directed to establish SQU as a research hub in SC and OLED materials and the developed scientific knowledge will boost Oman’s energy and healthcare sectors as well as the national economy. The group will also endeavor to enhance SQU’s standing and ranking in new materials research internationally by disseminating its research findings in high impact international journals and in major international conferences.