Organoaluminum compounds are of industrial importance in processes for making a wide variety of chemical products and as highly selective reagents in organic synthesis. More recently organometallic compounds of aluminum, gallium and indium have become important as precursors to electronic materials and ceramics. Each of the areas described above provides significant challenges for a multidisciplinary approach to scientific research, both at the level of basic science and that of direct technological application. Given the interdisciplinary nature of modern science, techniques traditional to chemistry can be used to solve real problems in material science and, as is often overlooked, materials science can aid in the development of new areas or answer questions in chemistry. The diversity of research interests within the Barron Group enables members of the group to not only gain a broad range of knowledge, techniques, and views, but to leverage off of the expertise of other group members in creatively approaching scientific questions.
Interdisciplinary collaborations are for the mutual benefit of both parties.
Individual expertise, which separately cannot solve specific problems, jointly brings novel approaches to the fore. It is important that researchers use a combination of appropriate characterization methods depending on the problem being tackled. Equally, it is important for researchers to bring techniques to an area where they have not been traditionally employed. The research undertaken in the Barron Group may be described by three thrust areas, summarized below. Where appropriate links are provided to give more details of specific research areas.