Prof. Noftle is interested in the synthesis and characterization of new compounds of the main group elements particularly those containing fluorine and the elements of Groups 14-16. These compounds have a wide range of potential industrial and medical applications including use as charge storage media, solid polymer electrolytes, ion-exchange media, drug-delivery systems, and molecular recognition agents. Modern synthetic methods, electrochemistry, spectroscopy (multi-nuclear NMR, FTIR, GC-MS, and UV-visible), and electron microscopy play a role in the investigation of these materials. Presently our research is focused on three projects.

1. Synthesis of Novel Thiophene Ligands: Our previous work with thiophene imides and amides led to an interest in the synthesis and characterization of heterocyclic derivatives bearing functional groups which can act as ligands for metal ions. The resulting transition metal complexes have applications in electronics, optics and medicine. The focus of the project involves the synthesis of new thiophene monomers with chelating side-chains which, when electrochemically polymerized, can sequester metal ions and act as catalysts or energy-conversion materials. Since some of these compounds are luminescent, they have potential use as molecular tags.
   
   
2. Synthesis of Electrically Active Small Molecules: Highly conjugated heterocycles have the potential to act as electrically conducting thin films and can be tuned by varying the substituents. These materials could find use in field effect transitors, in printed circuits, and in organic batteries. This research is being carried out in collaboration with Prof. Oana Jurchescu of the Wake Forest Physics Department.
   
   
3. Synthesis and Electrochemistry of Thiophene-Containing Polymers as Photovoltaic Materials: This research is based on fused-ring systems containing both acceptor and donor portions which can be polymerized to facilitate exciton dissociation in a photovoltaic cell. This work is being carried out in collaboration with the WFU Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials.

Publications

Coffin, R. C.; MacNeill, C. M.; Peterson, E. D.; Ward, J. W.; Owen, J. W.; McLellan, A.; Smith, G. M.; Noftle, R. E.; Jurchescu, O. D.; Carroll, D. L. Variation of the side chain branch position leads to vastly improved molecular weight and OPV performance in 4,8-dialkoxybenzo[1,2-b:4,5-b’]dithiophene/ 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole copolymers.  J. Nanotech. 2011, doi: 10. 1155/2011/572329.

Nie, W.; MacNeill, C. M.; Li, Y.; Noftle, R. E.; Carroll, D. L.; Coffin, R. C. A Soluble High Molecular Weight Copolymer of Benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b’]dithiophene and Benzoxadiazole for Efficient Organic Photovoltaics. Macromolecular. Rapid Comm. 2011, 32, 1163-1168.

MacNeill, C. M.; Peterson, E. D.; Noftle, R. E.; Carroll, D. L.; Coffin, R. C. A Cyclopentadithiophene/Thienopyrroledione-based Donor-Acceptor Copolymer for Organic Solar Cells. Synth. Met. 2011, 161, 1137-1140.

MacNeill, C. M.; Day, C. S.; Marts, A.; Lachgar, A.; Noftle, R. E. Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Properties of Novel Isostructural Two-Dimensional Lanthanide-Based Coordination Polymers with 2,3,5,6-Tetrafluoro-1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid. Inorg. Chim. Acta. 2011, 365, 196.

MacNeill, CM; Day, CS; Gamboa, SA; Lachgar, A.; Noftle, RE.  Solvothermal and reflux syntheses, crystal structure and photoluminescence. Properties of lanthanide-thiophene-dicarboxylate-based metal-organic frameworks,  J.Chem. Crystallogr. 2010, 40, 222-230.

Synthesis, structure, and electrochemistry of N-(3-thenoyl)fluoro-sulfonimide and bis(2-thenoic)imide. Preparation of polymers containing the fluorosulfonimide group, MacNeill, CM; Dai, J; Day, CS; Lazar, SP; Howell, SJ; Noftle, RE. Synth. Metals. 159 (2009)1628-1635.

Bis(μ-dithieno[3, 2-b:2’, 3’-d]thiophene-2, 6-dicarboxylato-κ2O2:O6)bis[bis(1, 10-phenanthroline-κ2N, N’)cobalt(II)]dimethylformamide disolvate, MacNeill, CM; Day, CS; Noftle, RE. Acta Cryst. E65 (2009) m486.

Solvothermal and reflux syntheses, crystal structure and photoluminescence. Properties of lanthanide-thiophenedicarboxylate-based metal-organic frameworks, MacNeill, CM; Day, CS; Gamboa, SA; Donaldson,M.; Lachgar, A.; Noftle, RE. J.Chem. Crystallogr. DOI 10.1007/s10870-009-9638-5.

Metal complexes of 3-thiophene carboxamides containing a pyridine ring,  Howell, S. Jarrett; Day, Cynthia S.; Noftle, Ronald E. Inorg. Chim. Acta,  2007, 360, 2669.

Synthesis and Characterization of 3-Thiophene Carboxamides Containing a Pyridine Ring: Structure, Electrochemistry, and Complexation, Howell, S. J.; Day, C. S.; Noftle, R. E. Inorganica Chimica Acta, 2005, 358, 3711-3723.

Synthesis and structural characterization of 3-thienyl alkyl imides, Dai, J.; Day, C. S.; Noftle, R. E. Tetrahedron, 2003, 59, 9389-9397.

An Efficient Method for the Synthesis of 3-Alkylthiophenes Bearing Functional Groups: Imides and Amides, Dai, J.; Sellers, J.L.; Noftle, R. E. Synthetic Metals, 139, 2003, 81-88.

Stoichiometric Preference in Copper-promoted Oxidative DNA Damage by Ochratoxin A. Manderville, R. A.; Calcutt, M. W.; Dai, J.; Park, G.; Gilman, I. G.; Noftle, R. E.; Mohammed, A. K.; Dizdaroglu, M.; Roderiguez, H.; Akman, S. A. J. Inorganic Biochemistry, 2003, 95, 87-96.

Influence of the A-Ring on the Redox and Nuclease Properties of the Prodigiosins: Importance of the Bipyrrole Moiety in Oxidative DNA Cleavage, Melvin, M. S.; Calcutt, M. W.; Noftle, R. E.; Manderville*, R. A. J. Chem Res. Toxicol. 2002, 15, 742-748.

Electrochemical Oxidation of Ochratoxin A: Correlation with 4-Chlorophenol, Calcutt, M. W.; Gilman, I. G.; Noftle*, R. E.; Manderville*, R. A. J. Chem. Res. Toxicol., 2001, 14, 1266-1272.

Characterization and Crystal Structures of Some Fluorinated Imides, Narula, P. M.; Day, C. S.; Odian, M. A.; Pennington, W. T.; Lachgar, A.; Noftle, R. E. Polyhedron, 1999, 18, 1751-1759.