Through thick and thin: Chemical strategies towards unique electronic and optical landscapes in atomically precise one-dimensional solids

The physical properties of solids are inherently coupled to their structure and dimensionality. As such, the discovery of nascent physical phenomena and the realization of complex miniaturized devices in the solid state have incessantly relied upon the creation of stable low-dimensional crystals that approach the atomic limit. Towards this end, us in the Maxx Lab are focused towards the discovery and chemical understanding of several classes of crystalline solid state materials comprising of sub-nanometer-thick inorganic chains that are held together by weak van der Waals (vdW) or ionic interactions. Such 1D and quasi-1D structures could be thought of as freestanding “edge states” or “all-inorganic polymers” and could bridge the underexplored chemical and physical knowledge gap that exists between atomically precise 2D and 0D solids. In this seminar, I will present our efforts in elucidating the distinct chemical interactions which govern the structure, dimensionality, assembly, and physical properties of crystals comprised of weakly-bound inorganic chains. My talk will focus on our advances in: (1) the discovery of a rare class of helical inorganic vdW solids and how compositional substitution in these modular phases could lead to a broad range of helical structures, emergent spin textures, accessible optical states, and highly sensitive stimulus-responsive behavior; and (2) the precision control of the bottom-up chemistry involved the inter-chain crystallization of optically- and electronically-active 1D and quasi-1D vdW crystals into dimensionally resolved nanostructures (chains, nanowires, quasi-2D nanosheets) that approach the sub-nanoscale regime. Through these thematic and convergent efforts, we define the synthetic and materials design rules that dictate the directed synthesis, complex atomic scale ordering, and anisotropic physical properties of several emergent classes of 1D and quasi-1D vdW materials that are poised to become building blocks in next-generation quantum, energy, and sensing technologies. 

Bio: Maxx Q. Arguilla originates from the Philippines. He obtained his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of the Philippines Diliman, cum Laude, in 2011. After a one-year junior instructor position at UPD, he moved to the US and completed his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from The Ohio State University with Professor Joshua Goldberger in 2017. His dissertation centered on the electronic, optical, and magnetic properties and applications of new two-dimensional solid state lattices in the bulk and at the nanoscale. He then moved to MIT as postdoctoral fellow in Professor Mircea Dinca’s group, where he focused on the growth of one-dimensional van der Waals crystals and the evolution of their physical properties as they transform into ultrathin nanowires and on establishing the fundamental anisotropic physical properties of two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks. In July 2020, Professor Arguilla joined the UC Irvine Department of Chemistry as a tenure-track Assistant Professor. He is an affiliate faculty of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Solutions that Scale Initiative. He also serves as a member of the advisory board of both the Eddleman Quantum Institute and the American Chemical Society’s Chemical & Engineering News. Professor Arguilla is the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award and a finalist (grand winner to be announced) for the Dream Chemistry Award of the Polish and Czech Academy of Sciences. He was named as one of Chemical & Engineering News’ Talented Twelve honorees in 2023 and as Matter’s 35 PIs under 35 in Materials Science in 2024.