Ivan Aprahamian
Professor
Appointments
Roth Family Distinguished Professorship
Professor of Chemistry
Area of Expertise
Molecular switches and machines ,
organic chemistry,
Supramolecular chemistry,
Photochemistry,
Adaptive materials,
Systems Chemistry
Biography
The Aprahamian group uses modular and tunable hydrazone-based building blocks in the development of fucntional adaptive materials. To this end we use synthetic, physical organic, and supramolecular chemistry in conjunction with advanced spectroscopic methods.
Our research has resulted in hydrazone-based molecular switches that can be activated either chemically or photochemically. The photochemically activated systems are expected to form the basis of various molecular machines and motors that can be used in applications ranging from drug delivery to energy storage. The chemically activated hydrazones on the other hand are used to develop feedback loops that can be used in pecise synthesis.
The group is also developing new hydrazone-based fluorophores that can be used in sensing, bio-imaging, and energy applications, among others.
Education
B.Sc. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
M.Sc. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Ph.D. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Publications
B. Balamut, I. Bala, B. P. Benke, J. Jose, M. Mastalerz, I. Aprahamian, C3-Symmetric Photoresponsive Chiral Dopants Based on Tribenzotriquinacene, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 7887–7894
D. Komáromy, A. N. Bismillah, V. A. Puranik, H. Fu, A. S. Y. Wong, I. Aprahamian, Coupling synthetic negative feedback loops, Chem 2026, 12, 102692
B. Balamut, K. Hanke, I. Aprahamian, Azobenzene/Triptycene–Based Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Dopants, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 64, e20563
Highlighted as a Hot Topic by Advanced Optical Materials
D. Sosnin, S. A. A. Abedi, M. Izadyar, Y. Ünal, X. Liu, I. Aprahamian, Hetero-Hydrazone Photoswitches, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 64, e202515136
Highlighted as a HOT paper
H. Wang, I. Bala, R. A. Wiscons, I. Aprahamian, Color Tuning in Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals using Triptycene/Hydrazone Chiral Photoswitches, Adv. Mater. 2025, e09125
A. Ryabchun, Y. Florida, Q. Li, R. Plamont, N. Katsonis, I. Aprahamian, Photo-Controlled Dynamics of Cholesteric Polymer Coatings via Hydrazone Crosslinking, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, e202507358.
Highlighted as a HOT paper
B. Balamut, I. Aprahamian, Molecular Steganography Using Multistate Photoswitchable Hydrazones, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 19444–19449.
Q. Qi, Y. Liu, V. Puranik, S. Patra, Z. Svindrych, X. Gong, Z. She, Y. Zhang, I. Aprahamian, Photoswitchable Fluorescent Hydrazone for Super-Resolution Cell Membrane Imaging, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 16404–16411.
1) B. Balamut, R. Hughes, I. Aprahamian, Tuning the Properties of Hydrazone/Isosorbide-Based Switchable Chiral Dopants, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 24561–24569
2) Q. Qi, J. T. Plank, A. R. Lippert, I. Aprahamian, A photoswitchable handheld volumetric 3D display, Chem 2024, 10, 1–11
Highlighted in Dartmouth News, Chemistry World and others
3) B. Shao, H. Fu, I. Aprahamian, A molecular anion pump, Science 2024, 385, 544–549
Highlighted in Dartmouth News, MSN, Smart Water Magazine and others
4) Q. Qi, S. Huang, X. Liu, I. Aprahamian, 1,2-BF2 Shift and Photoisomerization Induced Multichromatic Response, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 6471–6475
5) G. C. Thaggard, K. C. Park, J. Lim, B. K. P. M. Kankanamalage, J. Haimerl, G. R. Wilson, M. K. McBride, K. L. Forrester, E. R. Adelson, V. S. Arnold, S. T. Wetthasinghe, V. A. Rassolov, M. D. Smith, D. Sosnin, I. Aprahamian, M. Karmakar, S. K. Bag, A. Thakur, M. Zhang, B. Z. Tang, J. A. Castaño, M. N. Chaur, M. M. Lerch, R. A. Fischer, J. Aizenberg, R. Herges, J.-M. Lehn & N. B. Shustova, Breaking the photoswitch speed limit, Nat. Comm. 2023, 14, 7556
6) H. Fu, S. Pramanik, I. Aprahamian, Metal and Proton Relay-Controlled Hierarchical Multistep Switching Cascade, J. Am Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 19554–19560
8) I. Aprahamian, S. M. Goldup, Non-equilibrium Steady States in Catalysis, Molecular Motors, and Supramolecular Materials: Why Networks and Language Matter, J. Am Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 14169–14183
9) G. C. Thaggard, G. A. Leith, D. Sosnin, C. R. Martin, K. C. Park, M. K. McBride, J. Lim, B. J. Yarbrough, B. K. P. M. Kankanamalage, G. R. Wilson, A. R. Hill, M. D. Smith, S. Garashchuk, A. B. Greytak, I. Aprahamian, N. B. Shustova, Confinement-Driven Photophysics in Hydrazone-Based Hierarchical Materials, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, e202211776
Selected as Very Important Paper
10) Q. Qiu, S. Yang, M. A. Gerkman, H. Fu, I. Aprahamian, G. G. D. Han, Photon Energy Storage in Strained Cyclic Hydrazones: Emerging Molecular Solar Thermal Energy Storage Compounds J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2022, 144, 12627–12631
11) B. Shao, I. Aprahamian, Hydrazones as New Molecular Tools, Chem 2020, 6, 2162-2173
12) I. Aprahamian, The Future of Molecular Machines, ACS Cent. Sci. 2020, 6, 347–358
Contact