About

Jerome R. Robinson is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Brown University with a research focus on green chemistry, catalysis, energy, materials, rare-earth metals, bioinorganic chemistry, and radiochemistry. His research group develops novel methods for controlling and characterizing ligand-metal lability, specifically to enable applications in energy science, green chemistry, catalysis, and materials design. Robinson's work emphasizes the structural control of ligand environments around rare earth metals, which are used in diverse technologies including renewable energy, chemical synthesis, electronics, data storage, and biomedicine. Robinson earned his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in 2014 and his B.S. in Chemistry with Honors from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse in 2009. His research involves interdisciplinary approaches, and students in his group gain proficiency in organic and inorganic syntheses, handling air- and moisture-sensitive materials, and advanced characterization methods. He has received numerous awards, including the NSF CAREER Award, the PMSE Young Investigator Award, and the Brown University Graduate School Faculty Award for Advising & Mentoring.

Research topics

• Chemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Crystallography
• Nanotechnology
• Materials science
• Inorganic chemistry
• Physical chemistry
• Polymer chemistry
• Astrobiology
• Biochemistry
• Optics
• Nuclear magnetic resonance
• Optoelectronics

Selected publications

• Highly Emissive Lanthanide-Doped Ruddlesden–Popper Cs ₂ CdCl ₄ Nanoplatelets for White Light-Emitting Diode Applications

  Chemistry of Materials · 2026-01-05

  article

  Lanthanide (Ln3+)-doped halide perovskite nanocrystals offer a compelling platform for tunable photoluminescence, yet their integration into Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) phases remains largely unexplored. Here, we report the first colloidal synthesis of Ln3+-doped RP-phase Cs2CdCl4 nanoplatelets (NPLs) via a hot-injection method. Doping with Pr3+, Ce3+, Tb3+, and Eu3+ yields stable, well-defined 2D NPLs with emissions ranging from UV–C to red spectral ranges. Co-doping systems (Ce3+/Tb3+ and Tb3+/Eu3+) exhibit efficient interdopant energy transfer and the record photoluminescence quantum yield (up to 70%) is reported for the Ce3+/Tb3+ codoped sample. A prototype UV-pumped white-light LED fabricated from a blend of these NPLs achieves balanced emission near ideal white-light coordinates. These results establish RP-phase Cs2CdCl4 NPLs as versatile hosts for dopant engineering and next-generation optoelectronic applications.

  PublisherDOI

• Light responsive hydrogen selenide (H ₂ Se)/hydrogen diselenide (H ₂ Se ₂ ) donors: applied for protein <i>S</i> -selenylation on PRDX6

  Chemical Science · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  -selenylation (CysS-SeH) on Cys47 and Cys91 in both recombinant peroxiredoxin-6 (PRDX6) and PRDX6-overexpressing HEK293T cells. This photo-triggered donor system may serve as a new strategy to control selenium-based protein post-translational modifications for mechanistic studies into selenium metabolic pathways and ferroptosis.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Influence of Side-chain Identity and Tacticity on Structural, Thermal, and Mechanical Properties of Syndiotactic Polyhydroxyalkanoates

  Macromolecules · 2025-07-04 · 2 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a class of bioplastic polyesters whose properties can be tuned by polymer composition (i.e., side-chain identity) and microstructure (i.e., tacticity). Although key polymer structure–function relationships have emerged for isotactic PHAs (it-PHAs), similar relationships remain limited for syndiotactic PHAs (st-PHAs). Herein, we report a family of st-PHAs that vary in both side-chain identity (R = CH3, C2H5, C4H7, C4H9, and C6H13) and tacticity (Pr ≈ 0.8, 0.9, and 0.99) and characterize their thermal, scattering, morphological, and mechanical properties. Generally, st-PHAs displayed comparable or higher melting temperatures (Tm) than it-PHAs, where Tm increased with (i) increasing syndiotacticity (ΔTm ≈ 30 °C) and (ii) decreasing side-chain length (ΔTm ≈ 100 °C). Similar to it-PHAs, scattering measurements revealed systematic increases in b-dimension (∼15.1–22.7 Å), cell volume (874–1170 Å3), and long-period (12.9–14.9 nm) with increasing side-chain length. Unlike synthetic and bacterial it-PHAs, isothermal crystallization of st-PHAs generated spherulitic microstructures without banding, and suggested hierarchical structural differences between the two microstructures. Finally, tensile measurements of solvent-cast and melt-pressed dog-bone specimens revealed mechanical properties that were sensitive to side-chain identity. Similar to it-PHAs, Young’s moduli of st-PHAs increased with decreasing side-chain length (E: 52–831 MPa). In contrast, elongation to break (ε; 3.7–183%) and toughness (UT: 0.2–54.6 MJ/m3) of st-PHAs varied nonmonotonically with respect to side-chain length. Our studies highlight key similarities and differences between it- and st-PHAs, and suggest unique and complementary opportunities to tune polymer properties with control over polymer microstructure.

  PublisherDOI

• CCDC 2503942: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

  Open MIND · 2025-12-23 · 1 citations

  datasetOpen access

  An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

  OA PDFDOI

• Nitrate and Perchlorate Reduction by a Dinuclear Mo(V) Complex

  Inorganic Chemistry · 2025-08-29 · 1 citations

  article

  Nitrate (NO3–) and perchlorate (ClO4–) are persistent groundwater contaminants due to their high stability and solubility. Microorganisms reduce these anions using molybdenum-containing enzymes such as nitrate reductases and perchlorate reductases. Reported here is a bioinspired dinuclear Mo(V) catalyst, [Mo2O3(LBr)2(THF)2] (2), where LBr = 5-Bromo-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde thiosemicarbazone, and its reactivity with nitrate and perchlorate. Compound 2 was previously speculated to be an inactive byproduct formed when its monomeric Mo(VI) analog, [MoVIO2(LBr)(MeOH)] (1), catalyzes an oxygen atom transfer (OAT) between dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and PPh3. This work reports the synthesis, spectroscopic and crystallographic characterizations, and catalytic reactivity of 2. Contrary to earlier expectations, 2 catalyzes OAT from DMSO to PPh3, and also reduces nitrate and perchlorate, making it one of the few homogeneous molybdenum catalysts known to do so. With nitrate, 2 performs two OAT steps per NO3– to generate 1 and N2O, likely via nitrite and nitroxy intermediates. With perchlorate, 2 catalyzes four OAT events per ClO4–, yielding Cl– and 1. The effect of Sc3+ as a cocatalyst was also investigated; it significantly enhances the rates for perchlorate reduction but has minimal impact on nitrate reduction.

  PublisherDOI

• Synthesis and reduction of [(C₅H₄SiMe₃)₂Ln(μ-OR)]₂ (Ln = La, Ce) complexes: structural effects of bridging alkoxides

  Dalton Transactions · 2024-01-01

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Alcoholysis of (C 5 H 4 SiMe) 3 Ln results in bimetallic complexes with unexpected decreases in Ln⋯Ln distances as bridging alkoxides become bulkier. These complexes were characterized by DOSY NMR, CV, DPV, and a La II species was observed by EPR.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Access to Stereoblock Polyesters via Irreversible Chain-Transfer Ring-Opening Polymerization (ICT-ROP)

  Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2024-04-09 · 14 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Precise control over polymer microstructure can enable the molecular tunability of material properties and represents a significant challenge in polymer chemistry. Stereoblock copolymers are some of the simplest stereosequenced polymers, yet the synthesis of stereoblock polyesters from prochiral or racemic monomers outside of “simple” isotactic stereoblocks remains limited. Herein, we report the development of irreversible chain-transfer ring-opening polymerization (ICT-ROP), which overcomes the fundamental limitations of single catalyst approaches by using transmetalation (e.g., alkoxide-chloride exchange) between two catalysts with distinct stereoselectivities as a means to embed temporally controlled multicatalysis in ROP. Our combined small-molecule model and catalytic polymerization studies lay out a clear molecular basis for ICT-ROP and are exploited to access the first examples of atactic-syndiotactic stereoblock (at-sb-st) polyesters, at-sb-st polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). We achieve high levels of control over molecular weight, tacticity, monomer composition, and block structures in a temporally controlled manner and demonstrate that stereosequence control leads to polymer tensile properties that are independent of thermal properties.

  PublisherDOI

• 2H-Thiopyran-2-thione sulfine, a compound for converting H2S to HSOH/H2S2 and increasing intracellular sulfane sulfur levels

  Nature Communications · 2024-03-19 · 10 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Reactive sulfane sulfur species such as persulfides (RSSH) and H 2 S 2 are important redox regulators and closely linked to H 2 S signaling. However, the study of these species is still challenging due to their instability, high reactivity, and the lack of suitable donors to produce them. Herein we report a unique compound, 2H -thiopyran-2-thione sulfine (TTS), which can specifically convert H 2 S to HSOH, and then to H 2 S 2 in the presence of excess H 2 S. Meanwhile, the reaction product 2H -thiopyran-2-thione (TT) can be oxidized to reform TTS by biological oxidants. The reaction mechanism of TTS is studied experimentally and computationally. TTS can be conjugated to proteins to achieve specific delivery, and the combination of TTS and H 2 S leads to highly efficient protein persulfidation. When TTS is applied in conjunction with established H 2 S donors, the corresponding donors of H 2 S 2 (or its equivalents) are obtained. Cell-based studies reveal that TTS can effectively increase intracellular sulfane sulfur levels and compensate for certain aspects of sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase (SQR) deficiency. These properties make TTS a conceptually new strategy for the design of donors of reactive sulfane sulfur species.

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• Thioglucose-derived tetrasulfide, a unique polysulfide model compound

  Redox Biology · 2024-01-21 · 12 citations

  articleOpen access

  Polysulfides have received increased interest in redox biology due to their role as the precursors of H2S and persulfides. However, the compounds that are suitable for biological investigations are limited to cysteine- and glutathione-derived polysulfides. In this work, we report the preparation and evaluation of a novel polysulfide derived from thioglucose, which represents the first carbohydrate-based polysulfide. This compound, thioglucose tetrasulfide (TGS4), showed excellent stability and water solubility. H2S and persulfide production from TGS4, as well as its associated antioxidative property were also demonstrated. Additionally, TGS4 was demonstrated to significantly induce cellular sulfane sulfur level increase, in particular for the formation of hydropersulfides/trisulfides. These results suggest that TGS4 is a useful tool for polysulfide research.

  PublisherDOI

• 1,6-Dioxo-2-azaspiro[3.4]oct-2-enes and Related Spirocycles: Heterocycles from [3 + 2] Nitrile Oxide Cycloadditions with 2-Methyleneoxetanes, -Thietanes, and -Azetidines

  The Journal of Organic Chemistry · 2023-11-28 · 11 citations

  article

  Isoxazolines and 4-membered heterocycles are significant structural motifs in numerous synthetic intermediates and natural products. [3 + 2] Cycloadditions between enol ethers and nitrile oxides have been well studied; however, nitrile oxide cycloadditions with 4-membered heterocycles to give spiroisoxazolines are unreported. Here, we showcase the regio- and diastereoselective [3 + 2] nitrile oxide cycloadditions of 2-methyleneoxetanes, -azetidines, and -thietanes to give an array of 1,6-dioxo-2-azaspiro[3.4]oct-2-enes and related spirocycles. 2D NMR experiments suggested that most of the observed diastereoselectivities were dictated by steric interactions; however, dipolarophiles with H bonding donors reversed the stereochemical outcome. X-ray crystallography confirmed the structural assignments.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• MRI: Acquisition of a Single Crystal X­-ray Diffractometer (SC-XRD) to Strengthen Research in RI and Greater New­ England

  NSF · $290k · 2021–2024

• Development of Catalytic Metal-Coupled Electron-Transfer (MCET) for Sustainable Chemical and Electrochemical Oxygen Reduction

  NSF · $420k · 2019–2023

Frequent coauthors

• Eric J. Schelter

  University of Pennsylvania

  90 shared

• Patrick J. Walsh

  University of Pennsylvania

  67 shared

• Patrick J. Carroll

  University of Pennsylvania

  62 shared

• Alexander M. Brown

  Providence College

  49 shared

• Natasha P. Vargo

  25 shared

• Kerry C. Casey

  22 shared

• Xiang Dong

  University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

  21 shared

• Meg Shieh

  Providence College

  17 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Chemistry

  University of Pennsylvania

  2014

• B.S., Chemistry

  University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

  2009

Awards & honors

• Graduate School Faculty Award for Advising & Mentoring (Brow…
• PMSE Young Investigator - 2023
• Manning Assistant Professor - 2022-2024
• NSF CAREER Award - 2022
• New Journal of Chemistry - Emerging Investigator - 2021