NOVEL Fe-Cr OXIDE AND SKELETAL (RANEY) CATALYSTS FOR WATER GAS SHIFT REACTION. The water gas shift reaction has an importance implication in the control of carbon monoxide/hydrogen ratios of gas mixtures used during the synthesis of methanol, diesel and hydrogen. The research study aims to develop and characterise Fe-Cr oxide and chromia-promoted Raney Cu catalysts for water gas shift reaction using a tube wall reactor. The catalyst fabrication is based on leaching and electrochemical deposition ....NOVEL Fe-Cr OXIDE AND SKELETAL (RANEY) CATALYSTS FOR WATER GAS SHIFT REACTION. The water gas shift reaction has an importance implication in the control of carbon monoxide/hydrogen ratios of gas mixtures used during the synthesis of methanol, diesel and hydrogen. The research study aims to develop and characterise Fe-Cr oxide and chromia-promoted Raney Cu catalysts for water gas shift reaction using a tube wall reactor. The catalyst fabrication is based on leaching and electrochemical deposition to promote the catalytic activity. The produced catalysts will be characterised and tested for catalytic activity, temperature stability and other physical properties to determine fundamental understanding for future commercial applications.Read moreRead less
Nanomaterials: Probing supramolecular self-assembly at the solution/solid interface. Australia's competitiveness in nanotechnology must be underpinned by fundamental innovation and research. In a "bottom-up" approach to nanomaterials, it is important to understand, for the smallest possible machines that can be produced, how singular molecular components interact with one another, both during the assembly of any device and afterwards as it performs its function. For working devices the molecule ....Nanomaterials: Probing supramolecular self-assembly at the solution/solid interface. Australia's competitiveness in nanotechnology must be underpinned by fundamental innovation and research. In a "bottom-up" approach to nanomaterials, it is important to understand, for the smallest possible machines that can be produced, how singular molecular components interact with one another, both during the assembly of any device and afterwards as it performs its function. For working devices the molecules need to be assembled on a solid surface so that they can work in unison. In this project, in conjunction with researchers at the University of Cambridge, we use the new technique of gel-phase NMR spectroscopy to understand the factors involved as molecular components assemble on the surface of polystyrene beads.Read moreRead less
Supramolecular assembly in photovoltaic electrode design: Studies of ordered porphyrin/acceptor complexes on polythiophene electrodes. This research outlines an improved way to develop dye-sensitised photovoltaic solar cells for the conversion of sunlight into electricity, by increasing the molecular order of the cell components using host, guest interrelationships. As such, it addresses a problem of international concern 'How to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop global warming?' since s ....Supramolecular assembly in photovoltaic electrode design: Studies of ordered porphyrin/acceptor complexes on polythiophene electrodes. This research outlines an improved way to develop dye-sensitised photovoltaic solar cells for the conversion of sunlight into electricity, by increasing the molecular order of the cell components using host, guest interrelationships. As such, it addresses a problem of international concern 'How to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop global warming?' since solar cells do not produce carbon dioxide. To achieve our goals we draw on the skills of a team of experts from Australia (synthetic organic chemists), New Zealand (polymer and surface chemists) and Italy (photochemist and photophysicist). Such research is very appropriate for regional Australia, especially Central Queensland.Read moreRead less
New synthetic strategies towards higher order fullerenes. Fullerene or C60 is a novel soccer-ball shaped molecule with many potential applications as new materials and pharmaceutical drugs. This project aims to develop novel methods for the preparation of new fullerene derivatives that will have potential future applications in materials science, medicinal/pharmaceutical chemistry and chemical synthesis.
New Cascade Routes to Biologically Important Molecules. This research involves the development of short and efficient syntheses of several different classes of biologically active molecules using cascade reactions: spectacular events in which many chemical bonds are formed. Two distinct types of cascade reactions will be investigated and naturally-occurring molecules with antineoplastic, anti-immunosuppressive, antiviral and antimalarial activities will be prepared. These new, expedient routes a ....New Cascade Routes to Biologically Important Molecules. This research involves the development of short and efficient syntheses of several different classes of biologically active molecules using cascade reactions: spectacular events in which many chemical bonds are formed. Two distinct types of cascade reactions will be investigated and naturally-occurring molecules with antineoplastic, anti-immunosuppressive, antiviral and antimalarial activities will be prepared. These new, expedient routes allow the preparation of a wide range of structurally-related analogues; an important prerequisite for the preparation of libraries of compounds for biological evaluation. Along the way, important information about the chemical reactivity patterns of a newly-prepared, fundamental class of hydrocarbon molecules will be obtained.Read moreRead less
Asymmetric Synthesis of Bioactive Alkaloids and Analogues via Chiral, Polylfunctionalized-Pyrrolidines. Alkaloids are plant products that have many useful biological and pharmaceutical properties. Many of these compounds have potential as antiviral and anticancer therapeutics. This project aims to develop novel methods of preparing bioactive alkaloids and their structural analogues. These compounds potentially have applications as new potent and less toxic pharmaceutical agents.
Photodissociation Dynamics of Radicals and Molecules. Photodissociation dynamics involves studying fundamental chemical processes that underpin all chemical reactivity. We address three of the important unanswered questions in this field: i) how do the lessons learned from small molecules transfer to larger molecules? ii) can one control chemical reactivity by selecting specific states of the reactant?; and iii) are the dynamics of radicals fundamentally different to stable molecules? We wi ....Photodissociation Dynamics of Radicals and Molecules. Photodissociation dynamics involves studying fundamental chemical processes that underpin all chemical reactivity. We address three of the important unanswered questions in this field: i) how do the lessons learned from small molecules transfer to larger molecules? ii) can one control chemical reactivity by selecting specific states of the reactant?; and iii) are the dynamics of radicals fundamentally different to stable molecules? We will combine expertise in large molecule spectroscopy and photodissociation dynamics with technology in radical production to provide insight into these fundamental questions. Photodissociation dynamics is firmly embedded in photon science and technology.Read moreRead less
The Study of Pretreatment Options for Composite Fouling of Reverse Osmosis Membranes Used in Water Treatment and Production. It is recognised worldwide that fouling is a major impediment in operation of Reverse Osmosis units used for production, purification and treatment of water. This project is aimed at studying pre-treatment options for composite fouling which is the main type of fouling present in RO units by using both model feed systems and actual field water. The project outcomes are to ....The Study of Pretreatment Options for Composite Fouling of Reverse Osmosis Membranes Used in Water Treatment and Production. It is recognised worldwide that fouling is a major impediment in operation of Reverse Osmosis units used for production, purification and treatment of water. This project is aimed at studying pre-treatment options for composite fouling which is the main type of fouling present in RO units by using both model feed systems and actual field water. The project outcomes are to understand and develop pre-treatment strategies and to use those to develop a hybrid pre-treatment technology. This project will significantly impact water production in general and its outcomes will have far-reaching implications in treatment of water both within Australia and globally.Read moreRead less
The Boron Rejection by RO Membranes in presence of Calcium Carbonate and Magnesium Hydroxide. Water scarcity in various parts of the world demands the use of available saline waters for production of potable water. Reverse Osmosis membranes have been used as a means of achieving this objective. Fouling is a major impediment in operation of reverse osmosis units. The project aims to study boron removal by RO under high pH which increases the boron rejection but at the same time exacerbates compos ....The Boron Rejection by RO Membranes in presence of Calcium Carbonate and Magnesium Hydroxide. Water scarcity in various parts of the world demands the use of available saline waters for production of potable water. Reverse Osmosis membranes have been used as a means of achieving this objective. Fouling is a major impediment in operation of reverse osmosis units. The project aims to study boron removal by RO under high pH which increases the boron rejection but at the same time exacerbates composite fouling by calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide. Optimum pH for boron rejection will be determined and propensity of calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide at that pH range will be evaluated.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