Molecular Interactions and Designer Materials

Weak intermolecular interactions such as Hydrogen bonds are responsible for many interesting properties exhibited by soft matter since the bond energies are comparable to thermal energy at room temperature. Insights into these bonds and the bonding mechanisms can be used to design materials that possess specific properties such as high dielectric permittivity, tailor made interactions in biological systems etc. This calls for the characterization of the molecules followed by appropriate design. Three current research interests (a) intermolecular interactions in soft matter (b) interactions between soft matter and substrates and (c) design of materials with specific properties are discussed in some detail.