Charging transition metals with activating alkanes. The project aims to engineer positively charged metal complexes and use them to explore the chemistry of bound activated alkane ligands. The transformation of cheap, plentiful alkanes into more valuable products is a major quest in chemistry, and complexes of alkanes bound to metals are expected to play a key role in transformations of alkanes. The project intends to use the activated metal bound alkane to transform the normally inert alkane in ....Charging transition metals with activating alkanes. The project aims to engineer positively charged metal complexes and use them to explore the chemistry of bound activated alkane ligands. The transformation of cheap, plentiful alkanes into more valuable products is a major quest in chemistry, and complexes of alkanes bound to metals are expected to play a key role in transformations of alkanes. The project intends to use the activated metal bound alkane to transform the normally inert alkane into compounds with desirable functional groups. This should make the synthesis of alkane complexes stable at room temperature in solution a realistic possibility. These cheap, plentiful alkanes can be turned into more valuable products, bringing benefits to industry.Read moreRead less
Alkane transformations through binding to metals. Alkanes are fully saturated hydrocarbons and they are the major components of petroleum, including natural gas and liquid hydrocarbon fuels. They are abundant but finite, and their primary usage has been as fuels since they burn readily and release energy. Alkanes are relatively low-value, high-volume chemical feedstocks which are not easy to convert into more useful value-added materials. This project focuses on developing positively charged met ....Alkane transformations through binding to metals. Alkanes are fully saturated hydrocarbons and they are the major components of petroleum, including natural gas and liquid hydrocarbon fuels. They are abundant but finite, and their primary usage has been as fuels since they burn readily and release energy. Alkanes are relatively low-value, high-volume chemical feedstocks which are not easy to convert into more useful value-added materials. This project focuses on developing positively charged metal-based compounds that can bind directly to alkanes to increase their reactivity and enable their transformation into higher value products such as alcohols and olefins which are important chemical feedstocks.Read moreRead less
A Midas touch for electrophiles in new reaction development. This project aims to address the lack of knowledge about how high-value organic molecules are formed in gold-catalysed reactions by advancing a novel mode of catalysis. This project expects to generate new knowledge about these gold-catalysed reactions using an innovative, interdisciplinary approach incorporating computational and synthetic techniques. Expected outcomes of this project include the optimisation and development of import ....A Midas touch for electrophiles in new reaction development. This project aims to address the lack of knowledge about how high-value organic molecules are formed in gold-catalysed reactions by advancing a novel mode of catalysis. This project expects to generate new knowledge about these gold-catalysed reactions using an innovative, interdisciplinary approach incorporating computational and synthetic techniques. Expected outcomes of this project include the optimisation and development of important organic reactions and enhancing collaboration nationally and internationally between computational and synthetic chemists. This should provide significant benefits in the form of improved chemical reactions for chemists to prepare new pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and materials.Read moreRead less
Electrocatalytic Generation of Ammonia from Air and Water. The aim is to directly convert nitrogen under mild conditions, using renewable power, to form ammonia for fertilisers and fuels, enabled by new, nanostructured, electrocatalysts based on single-sheet and composite materials. Unlike nitrogen fixation using a three-electrode system, the project will use a novel mixed gas- and liquid-phase electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction two-electrode reactor. Based on fuel cells, it is designed to acce ....Electrocatalytic Generation of Ammonia from Air and Water. The aim is to directly convert nitrogen under mild conditions, using renewable power, to form ammonia for fertilisers and fuels, enabled by new, nanostructured, electrocatalysts based on single-sheet and composite materials. Unlike nitrogen fixation using a three-electrode system, the project will use a novel mixed gas- and liquid-phase electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction two-electrode reactor. Based on fuel cells, it is designed to accelerate the naturally sluggish nitrogen reduction reaction, NRR, significantly improving the reaction rate and selectivity. The project will also gain atomic-level understanding of the mechanism of NRR, based on in-situ spectroscopies used under operando conditions, e.g., Raman or X-ray absorption.Read moreRead less
Catalytic conversion of Australia's natural gas to value added products. While natural gas (of which methane is the primary component) is an abundant source of energy, it is normally found in remote areas and for its successful exploitation it needs to be processed. The processing usually requires significant energy and resources input. In this project we will develop a fundamental understanding to a single step catalytic process that can utilise natural gas and nitrous oxide (both potent greenh ....Catalytic conversion of Australia's natural gas to value added products. While natural gas (of which methane is the primary component) is an abundant source of energy, it is normally found in remote areas and for its successful exploitation it needs to be processed. The processing usually requires significant energy and resources input. In this project we will develop a fundamental understanding to a single step catalytic process that can utilise natural gas and nitrous oxide (both potent greenhouse gases) and oxygen to produce selectively methanol and hydrocarbons from a natural gas feedstream in a controlled manner. A single step process for natural gas conversion utilising waste green-house gases is expected to be of great benefit to the Australian economy, environment and energy securityRead moreRead less
Plasma driven electrochemical synthesis of urea. Urea is the most used nitrogen fertilizer in the world, with more urea manufactured by mass than any other organic chemical. However, the world is experiencing a major shortage of the compound, impacting our food costs and security along with dependent products such as AdBlue (diesel exhaust fluid). Commercial urea production relies on a complex reaction between ammonia and carbon dioxide at high temperatures, which consumes more than 2% of the w ....Plasma driven electrochemical synthesis of urea. Urea is the most used nitrogen fertilizer in the world, with more urea manufactured by mass than any other organic chemical. However, the world is experiencing a major shortage of the compound, impacting our food costs and security along with dependent products such as AdBlue (diesel exhaust fluid). Commercial urea production relies on a complex reaction between ammonia and carbon dioxide at high temperatures, which consumes more than 2% of the world’s energy. This project aims to produce more sustainable urea driven by electricity and using air and captured CO2, through the use of a plasma-driven electrochemical technology, providing farmers with a low-cost fertilizer under a decentralized and secure supply. Read moreRead less
Nanostructured solid acid catalysts for sustainable chemical manufacturing. This project aims to develop next-generation solid acid catalysts for energy- and atom-efficient transformations of waste biomass and carbon dioxide to sustainable chemicals and fuels. Catalysis is a transformative technology, key to both life and lifestyle, contributing to 90% of chemical manufacturing processes and >20% of all industrial products, and will be a key enabler for the emerging Australian bioeconomy. The ex ....Nanostructured solid acid catalysts for sustainable chemical manufacturing. This project aims to develop next-generation solid acid catalysts for energy- and atom-efficient transformations of waste biomass and carbon dioxide to sustainable chemicals and fuels. Catalysis is a transformative technology, key to both life and lifestyle, contributing to 90% of chemical manufacturing processes and >20% of all industrial products, and will be a key enabler for the emerging Australian bioeconomy. The expected development of new high performance catalysts for the production of renewable transportation fuels and sustainable chemical feedstocks will underpin commercially viable low carbon technologies using waste resources, and should provide significant benefits to Australian science, industry, and the environment.
Read moreRead less
Promoting transition metal complex catalysis with plasmonic antennae. This project aims to apply visible light photocatalysis to a wide range of chemical reactions by utilizing the intriguing effects of intense light absorption by plasmonic metal nanoparticles, such as generating energetic electrons, changing reactant adsorption and the chemical binding of reactant with the catalyst. These effects will promote catalysis at surface-bound metal complex reaction sites under mild reaction conditions ....Promoting transition metal complex catalysis with plasmonic antennae. This project aims to apply visible light photocatalysis to a wide range of chemical reactions by utilizing the intriguing effects of intense light absorption by plasmonic metal nanoparticles, such as generating energetic electrons, changing reactant adsorption and the chemical binding of reactant with the catalyst. These effects will promote catalysis at surface-bound metal complex reaction sites under mild reaction conditions. This is a part of our long-term effort to transform chemical production by heating into green photocatalytic process. This project expects to generate knowledge crucial for developing theories for catalysis, the design of efficient catalysts, green chemical synthesis methods, and enhance international collaboration.Read moreRead less
Spatially orthogonal multifunctional materials for catalytic cascades. This project aims to develop and implement new strategies to create, visualise, and apply multifunctional catalysts in which the location of (and communication between) active sites is precisely controlled to unlock ultraselective cascade reactions. Catalysis is a key enabling technology contributing to 35 % of the global economy, with new catalysts underpinning socioeconomic advancement through fuels, chemicals, and pharmace ....Spatially orthogonal multifunctional materials for catalytic cascades. This project aims to develop and implement new strategies to create, visualise, and apply multifunctional catalysts in which the location of (and communication between) active sites is precisely controlled to unlock ultraselective cascade reactions. Catalysis is a key enabling technology contributing to 35 % of the global economy, with new catalysts underpinning socioeconomic advancement through fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals production, and environmental depollution. This interdisciplinary project expects to discover next-generation nanoengineered catalysts, and to develop innovative energy- and resource-efficient chemical processes, which should offer significant benefits to Australian science, industry, and the environment.Read moreRead less
Advanced chemical recycling of mixed plastics for monomer recovery. This project aims to develop innovative catalytic routes to the chemical recycling of mixed plastics for recovery of their molecular building blocks. Plastic pollution poses a significant threat to the Australian ecosystem. Efficient recycling technologies are urgently needed as Australia only recycles ~4% of its 3.4 million tons of mixed waste plastics. This project expects to design highly efficient catalysts for the stepwise ....Advanced chemical recycling of mixed plastics for monomer recovery. This project aims to develop innovative catalytic routes to the chemical recycling of mixed plastics for recovery of their molecular building blocks. Plastic pollution poses a significant threat to the Australian ecosystem. Efficient recycling technologies are urgently needed as Australia only recycles ~4% of its 3.4 million tons of mixed waste plastics. This project expects to design highly efficient catalysts for the stepwise breakdown of mixed polyolefin plastics into monomers for the subsequent manufacturing of virgin plastics in a circular economy, and to elucidate fundamental underpinning reaction mechanisms. Outcomes will stimulate the Australian waste plastic recycling industry, and minimise plastic accumulation in the environment.Read moreRead less