Research Interests

Theoretical and experimental analysis of weak interactions in gas phase clusters and how these clusters may accomodate excess charges (electrons or protons). Research is performed using a custom built time-of-flight mass spectrometer and a tuneable infrared laser.

Publications

A. J. Huckaba, A. Yella, L. E. McNamara, A. E. Steen, J. S. Murphy, C. A. Carpenter, G. D. Puneky, N. I. Hammer, M. K. Nazeeruddin, M. Grätzel, and J. H. Delcamp, “Molecular Design Principles of Near-Infrared Absorbing and Emitting Indolizine Dyes,” Chemistry - A European Journal, in press (2016).

N. N. Sreeramulu, L. McNamara, N. I. Hammer, and H. Rathnayake, “Novel Binary Reactive Group Functionalized Silsesquioxane Micro-particles and Their Colloidal Self-Assemblies,” New Journal of Chemistry, submitted.

P. Brogdon, L. E. McNamara, A. Peddapuram, N. I. Hammer, and J. H. Delcamp, “Toward Tightly Bound Carboxylic Acid-Based Organic Dyes for DSCs: Relative TiO₂ Binding Strengths of Benzoic Acid, Cyanoacrylic Acid, and Conjugated Double Carboxylic Acid Anchoring Dyes,” Synthetic Metals (2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.synthmet.2016.03.031

L. E. McNamara, N. Liyanage, A. Peddapuram, J. S. Murphy, J. H. Delcamp, and N. I. Hammer, “Donor-Acceptor-Donor Thienopyrazines via Pd-Catalyzed C-H Activation as NIR Fluorescent Materials,” Journal of Organic Chemistry, 81, 32–42 (2016). DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.5b01958

G. E. Tyson, K. Tokmic, C. S. Oian, D. Rabinovich, H. U. Valle, T. K. Hollis, J. T. Kelly, K. A. Cuellar, L.E. McNamara, N. I. Hammer, C. E. Webster, A. G. Oliver, “Synthesis, Characterization, Photophysical Properties, and Catalytic Activity of a SCS bis(N-heterocyclic thione) (SCS-NHT) Pd Pincer Complex,” Dalton Transactions, 44, 14475-14482 (2015). DOI: 10.1039/C4DT03324H

J. Bae, L. E. McNamara, M. A. Nael, F. Mahdi, R. J. Doerksen, G. L. Bidwell III, N. I. Hammer and S. Jo, “Nitroreductase‐triggered activation of a novel caged fluorescent probe obtained from methylene blue,” Chemical Communications (2015). DOI: 10.1039/C5CC03824C

F. Begum, J. Fergusona, K. McKenna, L. E. McNamara, N. I. Hammer, and H. Rathnayake, “Preparation of n-Type Semiconducting Polymer Nanoarrays by Covalent Synthesis Followed by Crystallization,” New Journal of Chemistry, 39, 2004-2010 (2015). DOI: 10.1039/C4NJ00968A

A. J. Huckaba, F. Giordano, L. E. McNamara, K. Dreux, N. I. Hammer, G. S. Tschumper, S. M. Zakeeruddin, M. Grätzel, M. K. Nazeeruddi, and J. H. Delcamp, “Indolizine-Based Donors as Organic Sensitizer Compounds for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells,” Advanced Energy Materials, 5, 201401629 (2015). DOI: 10.1002/aenm.201401629BR>

L. Xu, V. R. Manda, L. E. McNamara, M. P. Jahan, H. Rathnayake, and N. I. Hammer, “Covalent Synthesis of Perylenediimide-Bridged Silsesquioxane Nanoribbons and Their Electronic Properties,” RCS Advances, 4, 30172-30179 (2014). DOI: 10.1039/C4RA03260H

H. Rathnayakea, N. Wright, A. Patel, J. Binion, L. E. McNamara, D. J. Scardino, and N. I. Hammer, "Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(3-Hexylthiophene)-Funtionalized Siloxane Nanoparticles," Nanoscale, 5, 3212 - 3215 (2013). DOI: 10.1039/C3NR34249B

Presentations

L. McNamara, N. Hammer, H. Rathnayake, K. Hollis, and J. Delcamp, “Spectroscopic Investigation of the Effects of Environment on Newly Developed Emissive Materials,” 69th International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, June 2014.

L. McNamara, L. Xu, N. Hammer, and H. Rathnayake, “Probing the Chiral Heterogeneity of Perylene Diimide (PDI) Nano-Ribbons using Single Molecule Fluorescence Detected Circular Dichroism (FDCD),” 2014 Mississippi State EPSCoR Meeting, Starkville, MS, April 2014.

A. Steen, L. McNamara, and N. Hammer “Comparison of Emission Spectra from Various Light Sources: A Physical Chemistry Education Outreach Project,” 2014 Mississippi State EPSCoR Meeting, Starkville, MS, April 2014.

L. McNamara, N. Hammer, and H. Rathnayake, “Probing the Chiral Heterogeneity of Perylene Diimide (PDI) Nano-Ribbons using Single Molecule Fluorescence Detected Circular Dichroism,” 2013 Mississippi State EPSCoR Meeting, Hattiesburg, MS, April 2013.