Contributions to the foundations upon which true crystal engineering of functional solids will be based. The emerging area of crystal engineering promises to provide access to sophisticated materials tailored for specific applications. A major thrust of the proposed work is concerned with controlling the interactions and thus the arrangement of small molecular building blocks used to construct such materials. Through a variety of novel approaches that are proposed, we expect that our research wo ....Contributions to the foundations upon which true crystal engineering of functional solids will be based. The emerging area of crystal engineering promises to provide access to sophisticated materials tailored for specific applications. A major thrust of the proposed work is concerned with controlling the interactions and thus the arrangement of small molecular building blocks used to construct such materials. Through a variety of novel approaches that are proposed, we expect that our research work will provide a valuable scientific contribution to the development of crystal engineering, whilst affording an excellent training ground for the sorts of scientists upon whom Australia's future prosperity will depend.Read moreRead less
Coordination Polymers and Oligomers and Labyrinthine Molecular Solids as Materials for the Sorption of Gases/Vapours, with Emphasis on Hydrogen. The work will afford new types of gas sorbing solids, which may find practical uses in the separation and storage of gases and in catalysis. Hydrogen is almost the perfect, pollution-free fuel; Australia's abundant sunlight potentially makes it cheap and readily available here. The lack of a safe and economic means of storing hydrogen at easily achiev ....Coordination Polymers and Oligomers and Labyrinthine Molecular Solids as Materials for the Sorption of Gases/Vapours, with Emphasis on Hydrogen. The work will afford new types of gas sorbing solids, which may find practical uses in the separation and storage of gases and in catalysis. Hydrogen is almost the perfect, pollution-free fuel; Australia's abundant sunlight potentially makes it cheap and readily available here. The lack of a safe and economic means of storing hydrogen at easily achieved and maintained pressures remains the chief obstacle to the viability of numerous hydrogen-powered devices of the future such as cell phones, laptop computers, cordless tools and vehicles. The work proposed will contribute to the development of safe, efficient, and portable hydrogen storage systems.Read moreRead less
Control of the Enantiomeric Self-Resolution Process. The availability of enantiopure molecules is crucial in chemistry and medicine. Enantiomeric self-resolution on crystallisation provides pure left- and right-handed molecules from 1:1 mixtures of the two. It is the simplest and cheapest means of obtaining enantiopure molecules, but its occurrence in any given case cannot normally be
predicted. The understanding and control of the self-resolution process gained through this project will repre ....Control of the Enantiomeric Self-Resolution Process. The availability of enantiopure molecules is crucial in chemistry and medicine. Enantiomeric self-resolution on crystallisation provides pure left- and right-handed molecules from 1:1 mixtures of the two. It is the simplest and cheapest means of obtaining enantiopure molecules, but its occurrence in any given case cannot normally be
predicted. The understanding and control of the self-resolution process gained through this project will represent a major breakthrough in organic and pharmaceutical chemistry. This technological advance will make pure handed molecules available readily and cheaply, thereby allowing chemical, pharmaceutical and biological developments to be made by Australian industry.
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Light-activated Bioconjugates for Applications in Synthesis and Biosensing. This project will allow the Australian biotechnology industry to develop better diagnostic biosensors that are controlled using light, making them cheaper and faster than the current generation of electronically controlled biosensors. Improvements in the response time of biosensors can be a matter of life and death, for instance, during a surgical operation. The project will benefit the pharmaceutical industry as it will ....Light-activated Bioconjugates for Applications in Synthesis and Biosensing. This project will allow the Australian biotechnology industry to develop better diagnostic biosensors that are controlled using light, making them cheaper and faster than the current generation of electronically controlled biosensors. Improvements in the response time of biosensors can be a matter of life and death, for instance, during a surgical operation. The project will benefit the pharmaceutical industry as it will allow the making of so-called chiral drugs cheaper and safer but problems with the purity of chiral drugs have in the past caused serious side-effects such as in the tragic case of thalidomide.Read moreRead less
Crowns, cages and cavities: Insights into host-guest chemistry from experimental charge density analysis of supramolecular crystals. Supramolecular systems - molecular aggregates - underpin the design and development of materials for a vast number of potential applications, in areas as diverse as catalysis, targeted drug delivery, gas storage, chemical separation, electro-optics and nonlinear optics. They also serve as models for complex phenomena such as self-assembly and ligand-receptor bindin ....Crowns, cages and cavities: Insights into host-guest chemistry from experimental charge density analysis of supramolecular crystals. Supramolecular systems - molecular aggregates - underpin the design and development of materials for a vast number of potential applications, in areas as diverse as catalysis, targeted drug delivery, gas storage, chemical separation, electro-optics and nonlinear optics. They also serve as models for complex phenomena such as self-assembly and ligand-receptor binding. Outcomes will impact on several of the nation's articulated research priorities and, through involvement of postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate students in an international collaboration of this nature, the project contributes directly to producing graduates and researchers familiar with state-of-the-art experimental facilities, both within Australia and overseas.Read moreRead less
Self-Assembly of Nanoscale Molecular Capsules. Nature uses the self-assembly of molecules for the construction of highly complex and functional structures. An understanding of this process will enable the design of new molecular systems, capable of application in areas that include medicine, electronics and communications. Such self-assembly will play a key role in the development of nanotechnology, a rapidly expanding field that is likely to become a major technology in the foreseeable future. ....Self-Assembly of Nanoscale Molecular Capsules. Nature uses the self-assembly of molecules for the construction of highly complex and functional structures. An understanding of this process will enable the design of new molecular systems, capable of application in areas that include medicine, electronics and communications. Such self-assembly will play a key role in the development of nanotechnology, a rapidly expanding field that is likely to become a major technology in the foreseeable future. It is of crucial importance for Australia to maintain cutting-edge research (and research training) in this area if the nation and its industries are to be active contributors to the coming revolution.Read moreRead less
New Membrane Methods to Extract Lactose From Waste Dairy Streams. Dairy processors throughout the world produce about 145,000,000 t of liquid whey per year. Lactose, the principle component in cheese whey, contributes a significant pollution problem for dairy processors. The aim of this Linkage Award application is to develop membranes that selectively extract the lactose. This requires the preparation of membrane carriers that transport the lactose through the membrane. The development of new a ....New Membrane Methods to Extract Lactose From Waste Dairy Streams. Dairy processors throughout the world produce about 145,000,000 t of liquid whey per year. Lactose, the principle component in cheese whey, contributes a significant pollution problem for dairy processors. The aim of this Linkage Award application is to develop membranes that selectively extract the lactose. This requires the preparation of membrane carriers that transport the lactose through the membrane. The development of new approaches and technologies for the isolation and purification of lactose from feed streams may lead to improved processes for manufacture of purified lactose or new lactose products.Read moreRead less
Controlled Supramolecular Assembly in Aqueous Molecular and Macroscopic Systems. This project uses benign and mainly bio-degradable materials to produce hydrogels which are remarkable new materials containing at least ninety-eight percent water which may be made into films. Similar films are proving to be valuable in covering wounds, particularly serious burns, and in greatly improving wound healing and tissue growth. They may also be useful in new coating and aircraft de-icing technologies. The ....Controlled Supramolecular Assembly in Aqueous Molecular and Macroscopic Systems. This project uses benign and mainly bio-degradable materials to produce hydrogels which are remarkable new materials containing at least ninety-eight percent water which may be made into films. Similar films are proving to be valuable in covering wounds, particularly serious burns, and in greatly improving wound healing and tissue growth. They may also be useful in new coating and aircraft de-icing technologies. These environmentally friendly materials are likely to find a multitude of uses as their development progresses. Young Australians involved in the project will gain experience in cutting edge science, its practical applications, and in international collaboration - a training essential to Australia's future prosperity.Read moreRead less
Anion Binding and Sensing With Self-Assembled Metallo-Supramolecular Assemblies. Anions are of particular significance in several areas relating to the day-to-day lives of Australians; for example as contaminants in waterways and nuclear waste streams, as indicators of chemical weapons, and as antagonists in biological systems. The proposed research programme will investigate a relatively unexplored approach to binding and sensing anions. This will further research in the area of supramolecular ....Anion Binding and Sensing With Self-Assembled Metallo-Supramolecular Assemblies. Anions are of particular significance in several areas relating to the day-to-day lives of Australians; for example as contaminants in waterways and nuclear waste streams, as indicators of chemical weapons, and as antagonists in biological systems. The proposed research programme will investigate a relatively unexplored approach to binding and sensing anions. This will further research in the area of supramolecular chemistry, providing additional research expertise in this rapidly progressing area of the chemical sciences. In terms of Breakthrough science the targeted assemblies will shed further light on self-assembly processes involving ligands with different domains, placing Australian research at the forefront of such investigations.Read moreRead less
Internally decorated discrete Metallo-supramolecular Assemblies and infinite Metal-Organic Frameworks as molecular containers. In the macroscopic world, containers are used to hold, provide physical protection, or create a modified environment for their contents. This project will result in the synthesis of novel molecular container materials that provide decorated internal surfaces capable of selectively binding chemical species. In addition to the breakthrough scientific benefits of establish ....Internally decorated discrete Metallo-supramolecular Assemblies and infinite Metal-Organic Frameworks as molecular containers. In the macroscopic world, containers are used to hold, provide physical protection, or create a modified environment for their contents. This project will result in the synthesis of novel molecular container materials that provide decorated internal surfaces capable of selectively binding chemical species. In addition to the breakthrough scientific benefits of establishing the fundamentals of these systems, the binding of chemicals, which are environmental contaminants, will provide the grounding for applications that will contribute to the national priority of 'Frontier technologies'. Furthermore, this research will lead to the training of the next generation of Australian scientists by quality international researchers.Read moreRead less