DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

Affiliations

Chemistry of Life Processes Institute (CLP)

International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN)

Research Statement

The Kalow group engages in research at the interface of organic synthesis, polymer chemistry, and materials science through two distinct approaches: materials-inspired reaction discovery and reactivity-driven materials discovery. In the first, we develop new synthetic transformations that provide control over the molecular structure of 1- and 2-dimensional organic polymers. In the second, we use our knowledge of organic reactivity to tune the properties and functions of soft materials. These efforts enable the study of structure-property relationships and materials optimization for targeted applications, including optoelectronics, sustainable polymers, and biomaterials. Projects in the Kalow lab provide trainees with experience in method development, polymer synthesis, mechanistic analysis, and materials characterization and testing.

Selected Publications

Ishibashi, J. S. A.; Pierce, I. C.; Chang, A. B.; Zografos, T.; Fang, Y.; Weigand, S. J.; Bates, F. S.; Kalow, J. A. “Mechanical and structural consequences of associative dynamic cross-linking in acrylic diblock copolymers.” Macromolecules, 2021, 54, 3972–3986.

Padgaonkar, S.;† Eckdahl, C. T.;† Sowa, J. K.; López-Arteaga, R.; Westmoreland, D. E.; Woods, E. F.; Irgen-Gioro, S.; Nagasing, B.; Seideman, T.; Hersam, M. C.; Kalow, J. A.; Weiss, E. A. “Light-Triggered Switching of Quantum Dot Photoluminescence through Excited-State Electron Transfer to Surface-Bound Photochromic Molecules.” Nano Lett., 2021, 21, 854–860.

Accardo, J. V.; McClure, E. R.; Mosquera, M. A.; Kalow, J. A. “Using visible light to tune boronic acid–ester equilibria.” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2020, 142, 19969–19979.

Woods, E. F.; Berl, A. J.; Kalow, J. A. “Photocontrolled synthesis of n-type conjugated polymers.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2020, 59, 6062–6067.

Accardo, J. V.; Kalow, J. A. “Reversibly tuning hydrogel stiffness through photocontrolled dynamic covalent crosslinks.” Chem. Sci., 2018, 9, 5987–5993.

Ishibashi, J. S. A.; Kalow, J. A. “Vitrimeric silicone elastomers enabled by dynamic Meldrum’s acid-derived crosslinks.” ACS Macro Lett., 2018, 7, 482–486. 

Selected Honors/Awards

• Marion Milligan Mason Award for Women in the Chemical Sciences, AAAS, 2021
• Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, 2021
• Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, 2021
• Arthur K. Doolittle Award, 2019
• NSF CAREER Award, 2019
• PMSE Young Investigator, 2019
• 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, 2018
• Thieme Chemistry Journal Award, 2018
• Young Investigator Award, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, 2017