September 2020: Vince Pastore

Vince Pastore, 5th-year PhD student in the Rzayev and Cook labs

• Pastore, V. J.; Cook, T. R., Coordination-Driven Self-Assembly in Polymer–Inorganic Hybrid Materials. Chem. Mater. 2020
• Pastore, V. J.; Cook, T. R.; Rzayev, J., Polymer–MOF Hybrid Composites with High Porosity and Stability through Surface-Selective Ligand Exchange. Chem. Mater. 2018
• Jiang, L.; Nykypanchuk, D.; Pastore, V. J.; Rzayev, J., Morphological Behavior of Compositionally Gradient Polystyrene–Polylactide Bottlebrush Copolymers. Macromolecules 2019
• Fulong, C. R. P.; Liu, J.; Pastore, V. J.; Lin, H.; Cook, T. R., Mixed-matrix materials using metal-organic polyhedra with enhanced compatibility for membrane gas separation. Dalton Trans. 2018

My research is focused on novel synthetic approaches to organic/inorganic hybrid materials using combined principles of polymer chemistry and coordination-driven self-assembly. The goal of this work is to gain a better understanding of interactions at the polymer/inorganic interface, and to obtain highly porous, mechanically robust functional materials that can ultimately be used for industrial applications such as CO₂ capture.

As a graduate student in UB’s Department of Chemistry, I enjoy being able to work and learn in a welcoming, supportive, and collaborative environment. I am grateful to be part of a community that not only enables personal growth and advancement of science, but also encourages picnics, bar hangouts, and trivia nights over Zoom during quarantine.

Outside of lab, I enjoy traveling, finding good local food and drink spots, and playing with my dog, Lorelei. I have also been a musician most of my life, and on game days I can be found in Orchard Park playing on the drumline for the Buffalo Bills.