Functional molecular nanomaterials. The design and construction of advanced nanomaterials is a key step in the push towards more efficient energy systems and smarter technologies. Through the strategic assembly of new classes of molecular nanomaterials, this project will lead to important fundamental advances in nanoscience and will underpin a range of new high-level technologies.
The systematic development of fundamentally important group 15 compounds: their applications to innovative industrial and environmental processes. The strong coordinating ability of organo-phosphorus/arsonic acids will be harnessed to support a series of metallic clusters that will be exploited for their use as magnetic materials in gas storage and as catalysts. The novel acids will be investigated for use as water soluble purification agents for, for example, mercury, uranium and lead.
Targeted synthesis of porous materials towards gas sorption and separation. Targeted synthesis, using a building block strategy and computational design, is an efficient method for controlled synthesis of porous materials. This project uses this method to synthesise porous materials with permanent functional pores for separating and storing fuels and greenhouse gases, addressing demanding energy and environmental problems.