Organometallic Transformations of Organic Compounds. The program will develop new metal-based catalysts for two main purposes (i) transforming basic hydrocarbons eg. natural gas and low-molecular-weight petroleum products into more advanced compounds (such as alcohols, alkenes and carboxylic acids); and (ii) converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen-containing compounds eg. ammonia or ammonia derivatives. In both projects, the aim is to take readily available and abundant starting materials that ar ....Organometallic Transformations of Organic Compounds. The program will develop new metal-based catalysts for two main purposes (i) transforming basic hydrocarbons eg. natural gas and low-molecular-weight petroleum products into more advanced compounds (such as alcohols, alkenes and carboxylic acids); and (ii) converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen-containing compounds eg. ammonia or ammonia derivatives. In both projects, the aim is to take readily available and abundant starting materials that are currently difficult to utilise and to design and develop specific reagents to convert them to "value-added" products. The program will also explore the mode of action of metal-based reagents leading to better reagent and catalyst design.Read moreRead less
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.
Switchable molecules for molecular nanoscience. This project targets the development and exploration of switchable molecules for future nanoscale devices. Applications will include individual molecules as: units of magnetic memory for high density data storage, quantum bits in quantum computers, components in electronic devices and switching units in display media.
New Methods to Harvest Light: Towards Better Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) technology has emerged as a complementary energy source to silicon photovoltaic technology. The efficiency of the DSC relies heavily on sensitizing molecules to absorb solar photons and then transfer electrons to a semi-conducting particle. This project will investigate new sensitizing methods using a combination of different dyes which work cooperatively to absorb a large part of the solar ....New Methods to Harvest Light: Towards Better Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) technology has emerged as a complementary energy source to silicon photovoltaic technology. The efficiency of the DSC relies heavily on sensitizing molecules to absorb solar photons and then transfer electrons to a semi-conducting particle. This project will investigate new sensitizing methods using a combination of different dyes which work cooperatively to absorb a large part of the solar spectrum and efficiently inject electrons into a semi-conducting particles. The development and understanding of these new methods to sensitize the dye-sensitized solar cell should lead to new and better solar cells.Read moreRead less
Asymmetric Synthesis of Chiral Phosphines, Arsines, and Stibines. There are now chiral phosphine-transition metal catalysts that rival enzymes in their efficiency for the asymmetric synthesis of important chiral drugs, fragrants, cosmetics, nutrients, vitamins, and pesticides. This project is aimed at a generalised asymmetric synthesis of the critical components of these enzyme mimics, notably enantiopure chiral phosphines, but also chiral arsines and stibines, by a highly innovative approach t ....Asymmetric Synthesis of Chiral Phosphines, Arsines, and Stibines. There are now chiral phosphine-transition metal catalysts that rival enzymes in their efficiency for the asymmetric synthesis of important chiral drugs, fragrants, cosmetics, nutrients, vitamins, and pesticides. This project is aimed at a generalised asymmetric synthesis of the critical components of these enzyme mimics, notably enantiopure chiral phosphines, but also chiral arsines and stibines, by a highly innovative approach that involves novel six-electron phosphenium, arsenium, and stibinium cations that are themselves stabilised by chiral phosphines so that chemical breeder reactions are possible. The use of chiral auxiliaries from the natural pool and from biotechnology will also be investigated.Read moreRead less
Quantum-chemical design of stereoregular polyphosphines for nanowires. In this project we will be designing and producing stereoregular polyphosphines that can self-assemble gold and silver complexes that mimic the molecular architectures of DNA and certain proteins. The longer gold complexes will behave as insulated nanowires, and are an exciting prospect for the development of nanotechnological devices. The shorter silver and gold complexes are expected to have significant antitumour propertie ....Quantum-chemical design of stereoregular polyphosphines for nanowires. In this project we will be designing and producing stereoregular polyphosphines that can self-assemble gold and silver complexes that mimic the molecular architectures of DNA and certain proteins. The longer gold complexes will behave as insulated nanowires, and are an exciting prospect for the development of nanotechnological devices. The shorter silver and gold complexes are expected to have significant antitumour properties. This project, which will use a unique theoretical-experimental approach to design the stereoregular polyphosphines, will enhance Australia's international scientific reputation, and will contribute to technological advancement in the national priority areas of nanotechnology and biotechnology.Read moreRead less
A Radical Approach to Multifunctional Coordination Solids. The development of multifunctional coordination solids represents one of the foremost challenges in the field of advanced materials as their properties underpin the next generation of technologically useful devices. Using a highly targeted theoretical and experimental approach for crystal engineering, this project aims to generate coordination solids that integrate radicals as molecular components for charge transfer. At a fundamental le ....A Radical Approach to Multifunctional Coordination Solids. The development of multifunctional coordination solids represents one of the foremost challenges in the field of advanced materials as their properties underpin the next generation of technologically useful devices. Using a highly targeted theoretical and experimental approach for crystal engineering, this project aims to generate coordination solids that integrate radicals as molecular components for charge transfer. At a fundamental level these materials will offer unprecedented insights into charge delocalisation and radical-induced switching phenomena in three-dimensional coordination space. It is expected that the outcomes of the project will spur the development of devices for applications ranging from solid state sensing to energy conversion and storage.Read moreRead less
Selective photocatalytic lignin biomass conversion. If the prospective ‘hydrogen economy’ is to use hydrogen as a fuel and energy carrier to replace fossil sources, vast amounts of renewable cheap hydrogen must be available. A likely candidate is catalytic water splitting by sunlight. The hydrogen can be made affordable, by coupling hydrogen production to a higher value-added stream. The aim of this project is to produce a stable, hybrid heterogenous catalyst system able to oxidise organic subst ....Selective photocatalytic lignin biomass conversion. If the prospective ‘hydrogen economy’ is to use hydrogen as a fuel and energy carrier to replace fossil sources, vast amounts of renewable cheap hydrogen must be available. A likely candidate is catalytic water splitting by sunlight. The hydrogen can be made affordable, by coupling hydrogen production to a higher value-added stream. The aim of this project is to produce a stable, hybrid heterogenous catalyst system able to oxidise organic substrates derived from lignin biomass as an adjunct to visible light hydrogen generation from water. The significance will be to provide fuels and organic chemicals for industry from biomass, water and sunlight and catalytically remediate waste water with sunlight.Read moreRead less
Site-specific Conjugation of Zirconium and Copper Complexes to Antibodies for Application in Diagnostic Imaging and Therapy. This project will focus on fundamental chemistry that underpins innovations in the synthesis of metal-based imaging and therapeutic agents. Radioactive isotopes of copper and zirconium can be used for either non-invasive diagnostic imaging or treatment of disease. However, it is essential that the diagnostic or therapeutic agent selectively localises in diseased tissue. Th ....Site-specific Conjugation of Zirconium and Copper Complexes to Antibodies for Application in Diagnostic Imaging and Therapy. This project will focus on fundamental chemistry that underpins innovations in the synthesis of metal-based imaging and therapeutic agents. Radioactive isotopes of copper and zirconium can be used for either non-invasive diagnostic imaging or treatment of disease. However, it is essential that the diagnostic or therapeutic agent selectively localises in diseased tissue. This project aims to achieve the required selectivity by employing enzymatic site-specific bioconjugation reactions to build new imaging agents that feature ligands designed to safely bind radioactive isotopes fused to antibody derived targeting molecules.Read moreRead less
Light driven supramolecular reactors. A major problem facing synthetic chemistry is how to control chemical reactivity using benign techniques. The aim of this project is to form supramolecular capsules that can bind guest molecules and use visible light to drive chemical reactions inside these cages. This project aims to develop the first examples of molecular cages that are able to catalyse photoredox processes. These enantiopure, self-assembled cages will be based on ruthenium(II) complexes w ....Light driven supramolecular reactors. A major problem facing synthetic chemistry is how to control chemical reactivity using benign techniques. The aim of this project is to form supramolecular capsules that can bind guest molecules and use visible light to drive chemical reactions inside these cages. This project aims to develop the first examples of molecular cages that are able to catalyse photoredox processes. These enantiopure, self-assembled cages will be based on ruthenium(II) complexes with established photophysical properties. The expected outcomes will include the first proof-of-principle examples of controlled photoredox reactions, opening the door for the development of enantioselective molecular photoreactors.Read moreRead less