We offer service measurements, contract work, and consultation on projects that involve the synthesis, characterization and properties of organic materials in general and are specialized in the temperature dependent characterization of anisotropic molecular and polymeric materials.

​

Please contact Dr. Eichhorn by phone (519-253-3000 x3990) or email (eichhorn@uwindsor.ca) for more information and commercial/academic fees.

​

Molecular Design

 

We use different software packages (Schrödinger – Jaguar and MacroModel, Materials Studio, and Gaussian on SHARCNET) for the explanation and prediction of molecular and supramolecular properties.

​

Synthesis

​

Our team is specialized in the synthesis of a large number of different organic dyes and pigments such as porphyrin, indigo, diketopyrrolopyrrole, pyrine, and perylene derivatives. We are also experienced in the synthesised of liquid crystalline compounds, monolayer protected metal nanoparticles, and polyurethane based composites. Besides conventional batch reactions in flasks, we also employ microwave and flow reactors for solution chemistry and ball mills for mechanochemistry.

​

Materials Characterization

​

We study the properties of our materials with a number of different methods and are specialized in the characterization of anisotropic materials with temperature dependent properties. Techniques we frequently apply include thermal analysis (DSC, TGA, and DMA), variable temperature (vt) polarized optical microscopy, polarized and vt UV-vis-NIR Absorption and Emission, IR, and Raman spectroscopy, vt powder X-ray diffraction (reflective and transmission modes, 1- and 2-dimensional).

​

Processing

​

We are well equipped for the preparation of thin films down to monolayers by drop casting methods, spin-coating, and the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Our substrates are usually treated with alignment layers to support the formation of large uniform domains. Also available is a setup for electrospinning and the extrusion of microfibers.

​

We presently collaborate with:

​

Simon Rondeau-Gagné on (poly)diacetylene containing materials,

Christine DeWolf on monolayers of amphiphilic organic dyes,

Kenneth Maly on the characterization of columnar liquid crystals,

and Drew Marquardt on fluorescent probes for bio-membranes.