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From Nanostructured Catalysts to Process Innovation. The results of this research will help to advance the fundamental scientific understanding of industrially important chemical reactions and give clear leads as to how to improve them. In particular, new catalysts (i.e. agents that increase the speed and selectivity of chemical reactions) will be generated and the first steps towards process innovation will be taken, using high-throughput equipment unique in the Southern Hemisphere. These new c ....From Nanostructured Catalysts to Process Innovation. The results of this research will help to advance the fundamental scientific understanding of industrially important chemical reactions and give clear leads as to how to improve them. In particular, new catalysts (i.e. agents that increase the speed and selectivity of chemical reactions) will be generated and the first steps towards process innovation will be taken, using high-throughput equipment unique in the Southern Hemisphere. These new catalysts will be the basis for the design of new and/or improved industrial processes that will be ?greener?, safer, use fewer resources, produce less waste and are generally more efficient and effective. As a result the Australian chemicals industry will be more competitive.Read moreRead less
Molecular Recognition in Chiral Ionic Liquids as Basis for the Design and Synthesis of New Enantioselective Heterogeneous Catalysts and Membranes. Molecules that can exist as mirror images, each with different, e.g., beneficial vs. toxic properties, underpin the pharmaceutical industry and increasingly new highly selective pesticides, and flavours/fragrances.
Current commercial pathways often make mixtures of the mirror images that then need to be separated laboriously. These routes are ineffic ....Molecular Recognition in Chiral Ionic Liquids as Basis for the Design and Synthesis of New Enantioselective Heterogeneous Catalysts and Membranes. Molecules that can exist as mirror images, each with different, e.g., beneficial vs. toxic properties, underpin the pharmaceutical industry and increasingly new highly selective pesticides, and flavours/fragrances.
Current commercial pathways often make mixtures of the mirror images that then need to be separated laboriously. These routes are inefficient, creating waste and use resources poorly.
We aim to create solutions for these problems, using supported thin films of special, new types of salts that are liquid at room temperature, and which have other unusual chemical properties that make them ideally suited to enable efficient conversions.Read moreRead less
Sustainable Solar Hydrogen Production from Waste Water. The world energy demand, expected to triple by 2100, must be met from sustainable and non-polluting sources. Sunlight is the largest available carbon-neutral energy source, with enough energy striking the planet in one hour to satisfy our current requirements for about a year. With the novel catalysts designed in this project, we will use this energy to simultaneously generate hydrogen and destroy organic pollutants by oxidation. The hydr ....Sustainable Solar Hydrogen Production from Waste Water. The world energy demand, expected to triple by 2100, must be met from sustainable and non-polluting sources. Sunlight is the largest available carbon-neutral energy source, with enough energy striking the planet in one hour to satisfy our current requirements for about a year. With the novel catalysts designed in this project, we will use this energy to simultaneously generate hydrogen and destroy organic pollutants by oxidation. The hydrogen can then be used as a clean source of sustainable energy and the water recycled. Our climate, proximity to major economies of the future, and long commercial and research experience in solar energy make Australia an ideal location for a hydrogen production industry.Read moreRead less
Gas-phase and catalytic reaction of halons under reducing conditions. Halons are ozone-depleting substances, but their use continues in most countries. This project pursues techniques to convert, rather than destroy, halons into benign and useful products. The aims of this project are to gain a fundamental understanding of the reactions of the most commonly used halons, 1301, 1211 and 2402, and perform a detailed examination of catalytic processes for conversion of halons to HFCs. The primary ....Gas-phase and catalytic reaction of halons under reducing conditions. Halons are ozone-depleting substances, but their use continues in most countries. This project pursues techniques to convert, rather than destroy, halons into benign and useful products. The aims of this project are to gain a fundamental understanding of the reactions of the most commonly used halons, 1301, 1211 and 2402, and perform a detailed examination of catalytic processes for conversion of halons to HFCs. The primary outcome from the study will be the development of a process specifically designed to convert halons into useful products. This will assist with efforts to phase out continued halon use.Read moreRead less
Application of First-principles Theory in Condensed Matter Physics, Surface Physics, Chemistry, and Engineering: Coatings, Catalysis, and Devices. The project addresses areas of high technological interest, namely the development of nitride-based materials for hard-coatings, spintronic (control and use of electron spin) and optoelectronic (in the blue/UV energy range) devices - as well as the area of heterogeneous oxidation catalysis. Using state-of-the-art methods it will lead to the developme ....Application of First-principles Theory in Condensed Matter Physics, Surface Physics, Chemistry, and Engineering: Coatings, Catalysis, and Devices. The project addresses areas of high technological interest, namely the development of nitride-based materials for hard-coatings, spintronic (control and use of electron spin) and optoelectronic (in the blue/UV energy range) devices - as well as the area of heterogeneous oxidation catalysis. Using state-of-the-art methods it will lead to the development of new materials and devices of relevance to industry.Read moreRead less
Improved catalysts for liquid phase hydrocarbon oxidation. Hydrocarbon oxidation is the largest industrial catalytic application of molecular transition metal catalysts. Despite its widespread application, the cyclohexane oxidation process is inefficient as it operates at low conversions, with a requirement to continuously recycle large quantities of hydrocarbon feedstock. Because of the scale of the process, increasing the yield from 4.5% to even 6% (33% increase) would represent a drastic im ....Improved catalysts for liquid phase hydrocarbon oxidation. Hydrocarbon oxidation is the largest industrial catalytic application of molecular transition metal catalysts. Despite its widespread application, the cyclohexane oxidation process is inefficient as it operates at low conversions, with a requirement to continuously recycle large quantities of hydrocarbon feedstock. Because of the scale of the process, increasing the yield from 4.5% to even 6% (33% increase) would represent a drastic improvement, with flow-on economic and environmental effects. The proposal aims to combine novel modifiers into the structure of the catalysts, to effect this increase and develop cleaner, more efficient, catalysts.Read moreRead less
Reactions of Coordinated Dinitrogen. The program will develop novel metal-based catalysts and reagents that will transform nitrogen gas into ammonia and other nitrogen-containing compounds (nitrogen fixation). This fundamental chemical transformation underpins major chemical industries and this new approach using organometallic catalysts will significantly improve the efficiency of ammonia production and reduce the energy and harsh reaction conditions currently required. This program will desi ....Reactions of Coordinated Dinitrogen. The program will develop novel metal-based catalysts and reagents that will transform nitrogen gas into ammonia and other nitrogen-containing compounds (nitrogen fixation). This fundamental chemical transformation underpins major chemical industries and this new approach using organometallic catalysts will significantly improve the efficiency of ammonia production and reduce the energy and harsh reaction conditions currently required. This program will design catalysts with multiple complementary metal centres tailored to bind and activate nitrogen gas to facilitate its reaction with hydrogen or other reagents.Read moreRead less
Supported Molecular Catalysts for Methanol Oxidation and Other Reactions. Knowledge arising from these fundamental studies has the potential to place Australia at the forefront of this important area of materials science and catalysis. We expect to make discoveries that will be useful not only in the area of catalysts for the direct methanol fuel cell, but also in systematising and developing the whole field of bio-mimetic supported electrocatalysts. Relevant findings in these exciting areas wil ....Supported Molecular Catalysts for Methanol Oxidation and Other Reactions. Knowledge arising from these fundamental studies has the potential to place Australia at the forefront of this important area of materials science and catalysis. We expect to make discoveries that will be useful not only in the area of catalysts for the direct methanol fuel cell, but also in systematising and developing the whole field of bio-mimetic supported electrocatalysts. Relevant findings in these exciting areas will be relayed to researchers and commercialised where appropriate. This multidisciplinary project will also provide an excellent environment for research training.Read moreRead less
Renewable fuels and chemicals from fibrous organic waste and non-food crops. At current rates of resource usage, a world population with Australian standards of living would require between four and six planets. Solutions to existing and impending resource scarcity (water, power, chemical feedstocks) and associated greenhouse pollution are required in the short- to medium-term. The new catalysts and processes and their novel integration into an effective refining stream are designed to deliver t ....Renewable fuels and chemicals from fibrous organic waste and non-food crops. At current rates of resource usage, a world population with Australian standards of living would require between four and six planets. Solutions to existing and impending resource scarcity (water, power, chemical feedstocks) and associated greenhouse pollution are required in the short- to medium-term. The new catalysts and processes and their novel integration into an effective refining stream are designed to deliver the required breakthroughs, which will enable the broad adoption of lignocellulosic biomass for a sustainable solution. This is a major opportunity for Australia to address the fossil-fuel conundrum, and to show scientific leadership in an area that is set to drive economic and political change in the 21st century.Read moreRead less
Reactivity and Spectroscopy of Gas Phase Metal Oxide Cluster Ions: Structure-Reactivity Correlations and Fundamental Insights into Heterogeneous Catalysis. This project will make use of world class ARC funded instrumentation to carry out breakthrough science. The research will contribute fundamental insights into chemical bond activation relevant to industrial catalytic processes important to national manufacturing industries. These insights will improve the efficiency and selectivity of catal ....Reactivity and Spectroscopy of Gas Phase Metal Oxide Cluster Ions: Structure-Reactivity Correlations and Fundamental Insights into Heterogeneous Catalysis. This project will make use of world class ARC funded instrumentation to carry out breakthrough science. The research will contribute fundamental insights into chemical bond activation relevant to industrial catalytic processes important to national manufacturing industries. These insights will improve the efficiency and selectivity of catalytic processes and lead to increased profitability and/or a reduction in unwanted side products and pollution. The project will train young scientists in important experimental and theoretical chemical techniques, and will enhance and contribute to Australia's international research profile.Read moreRead less