Dr. Tendai Gadzikwa

Tendai Gadzikwa

Associate Professor

location CBC 101
email gadzikwa@ksu.edu
Research Themes
Functional Materials, Catalysis, and Nanochemistryblank spacerDesign and Synthesis of Molecules and Supramolecular Architectures
Lab Website Link 785-532-6703 (lab)

Biography

2023-Present

2016-2023

2015

2012-2015

2009-2011

2003-2009

1999-2003

Associate Professor, Kansas State University

Assistant Professor, Kansas State University

Visiting Researcher, University of Alberta

Senior Lecturer, University of Zimbabwe

Schlumberger Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Amsterdam

Ph.D, Northwestern University

B.A. in Chemistry, Macalester College

 

Research Overview

Supramolecular chemistry, metal-organic framework materials, and catalysis.
The members of the Gadzikwa lab consider ourselves “molecular architects” - we use the tools of Inorganic, Organic, and Materials Chemistry to construct functional materials using molecules as building blocks. Like architects, we design the supramolecular structure, then plan and oversee its construction via the self-assembly of molecular building blocks. Finally, we decorate the interior of our construct such that it best fulfils the purpose for which it was built.
Our particular focus is supramolecular catalysis. A long-standing goal of the field is the construction of catalysts that more accurately mimic enzyme active sites, i.e catalytic sites that are confined, highly functionalized, and flexible. To this end, our group has been using metal-organic framework (MOF) materials as scaffolds on which we can deliberately organize complex chemical functionality within confined, 3-dimensional space. Our methodology entails the assembly of modifiable organic linkers into sufficiently porous, independently modifiable MOF materials, and their sequential elaboration with multiple additional functionalities.

Figure 1
Figure 1. A: The self-assembly of modifiable organic linkers with zinc cations to generate a bifunctionalizable metal-organic framework (MOF) material, KSU-1. B: Schematic representation of the sequential, independent functionalization of KSU-1 to yield a uniformly multifunctional MOF material.

Selected publications

  • Matseketsa, P.; Mafukidze, D.; Pothupitiya, L.; Averkiev, B. B.; Gadzikwa, T. “Unexpected reversal of reactivity in organic functionalities when immobilized together in a metal-organic framework (MOF)” Mol. Syst. Des. Eng. 2024, 9, 445 - 448 DOI:10.1039/D3ME00185G
  • Samarakoon, K. P.; Yazdanparast M.; Day, V. W.; Gadzikwa, T. "Uniform and Simultaneous Orthogonal Functionalization of a Metal-Organic Framework Material" ChemRxiv 2020. DOI:10.26434/chemrxiv.11482893.v2
  • Yazdanparast M.; Day, V. W.; Gadzikwa, T. "Hydrogen-Bonding Linkers Yield a Large-Pore, Non-Catenated, Metal-Organic Framework with pcu Topology" Molecules 2020, 25, 697. DOI:10.3390/molecules25030697
  • Samarakoon, K. P.; Satterfield, S. C.; McCoy, M. C.; Pivaral-Urbina, D. A.; Islamoglu, T; Day, V. W.; Gadzikwa, T. “Uniform, binary functionalization of a metal-organic framework material,” Inorg. Chem. 2019, 58, 8906-8909. DOI:10.1021/acs.inorgchem.9b00838