Please join me in congratulating Amar Flood, professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, on receiving patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for his innovative work involving cyanostar molecules—ring-shaped molecules that bind well to charged particles.
Professor Flood’s patent, with colleagues from the University of Southern Mississippi, is for work on designing sensors that can detect anions. The sensors will provide chemists with a highly sensitive and selective tool with potential applications in chemical processing, environmental and agricultural soil monitoring, and medical diagnostics.
More recently this year, he received, along with a collaborator from the University of Copenhagen, two patents for his discovery of the world’s brightest fluorescent materials—small molecule, ionic isolation lattices, or SMILES. These materials have numerous potential uses, including in lasers, optical calibrants, and medical devices for the diagnoses of diseases.
Congratulations, Professor Flood!