Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100450
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$425,398.00
Summary
Cooperativity by Design: Unlocking Metal-Metal-Ligand Cooperativity. This proposal aims to deliver efficient chemical hydrogen storage by designing new catalysts to facilitate the storage and release of hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen is an important zero-emission fuel for the low carbon energy future. However, to realise the potential of the hydrogen economy, efficient, cost-effective solutions are required for storage and transportation. This project seeks to provide technological and intellectual adv ....Cooperativity by Design: Unlocking Metal-Metal-Ligand Cooperativity. This proposal aims to deliver efficient chemical hydrogen storage by designing new catalysts to facilitate the storage and release of hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen is an important zero-emission fuel for the low carbon energy future. However, to realise the potential of the hydrogen economy, efficient, cost-effective solutions are required for storage and transportation. This project seeks to provide technological and intellectual advances in chemical hydrogen storage methods. These outcomes are expected to provide environmental and economic benefits for Australia’s developing hydrogen economy, both in the energy export market and locally in utilisation of hydrogen as a sustainable fuel.Read moreRead less
Programmable Organometallics for Spatiotemporal Light Control. This Project aims to develop new materials that control and modify light. The new organometallics from this Project are anticipated to display world record light intensity-dependent absorption and other phenomena. These new programmable molecules are expected to respond to environmental stimuli with precise spatial control. Anticipated outcomes of this Project include environmental sensors and a technology platform for targeted medic ....Programmable Organometallics for Spatiotemporal Light Control. This Project aims to develop new materials that control and modify light. The new organometallics from this Project are anticipated to display world record light intensity-dependent absorption and other phenomena. These new programmable molecules are expected to respond to environmental stimuli with precise spatial control. Anticipated outcomes of this Project include environmental sensors and a technology platform for targeted medical imaging and light-responsive therapies. This Project should provide significant benefits including possible commercialisation of the new materials, enhanced research capacity, training students and a postdoctoral fellow with unique skills, and the strengthening of research linkages with strategic partners.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100573
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$369,075.00
Summary
A long-term history of mercury in Australasia. This project aims to investigate how natural levels of mercury have changed over time and how human activities have affected mercury atmospheric fluxes and deposition. Using state-of-the-art experimental approaches combining palaeontology and chemistry, the project seeks to build comprehensive knowledge about the flux and sources of mercury in the Southern Hemisphere, to address significant geospatial and temporal gaps in understanding mercury’s env ....A long-term history of mercury in Australasia. This project aims to investigate how natural levels of mercury have changed over time and how human activities have affected mercury atmospheric fluxes and deposition. Using state-of-the-art experimental approaches combining palaeontology and chemistry, the project seeks to build comprehensive knowledge about the flux and sources of mercury in the Southern Hemisphere, to address significant geospatial and temporal gaps in understanding mercury’s environmental impact. Expected outcomes are a more refined understanding of the global biochemical cycle of mercury and its exposure effects on human and wildlife populations. Potential benefits are better-informed international actions designed to reduce environmental and health risks from mercury pollution.Read moreRead less
Enhanced Synthetic Efficiency For Molecular Complexity and Diversity. This project aims to introduce new, broad-spectrum strategies that permit more efficient and selective ways to access complex organic molecules. The approach involves maximising the molecule-building potential of some of the smallest accessible molecular building blocks. Significant outcomes expected from this work include much shorter chemical syntheses of important organic substances and much improved, broad scope synthetic ....Enhanced Synthetic Efficiency For Molecular Complexity and Diversity. This project aims to introduce new, broad-spectrum strategies that permit more efficient and selective ways to access complex organic molecules. The approach involves maximising the molecule-building potential of some of the smallest accessible molecular building blocks. Significant outcomes expected from this work include much shorter chemical syntheses of important organic substances and much improved, broad scope synthetic methods. The concepts introduced by this work aims to benefit industry and manufacturing by introducing more efficient methods for fine chemical manufacture, while simultaneously lowering energy use and producing less waste.Read moreRead less
Multi-Bond-Forming Processes: Step-Economical Synthesis In Batch And Flow. This project aims to develop better ways to make and understand organic substances: the materials that make up all known life forms, our medicines, and many designed materials. Based on the previous development of powerful multi-bond-forming processes, the purpose of this project is to develop cascade sequences involving dendralenes in new and innovative ways. The project plans to generalise these processes and apply them ....Multi-Bond-Forming Processes: Step-Economical Synthesis In Batch And Flow. This project aims to develop better ways to make and understand organic substances: the materials that make up all known life forms, our medicines, and many designed materials. Based on the previous development of powerful multi-bond-forming processes, the purpose of this project is to develop cascade sequences involving dendralenes in new and innovative ways. The project plans to generalise these processes and apply them in short total syntheses; extend the boundaries of multi-bond-forming processes and break new records; and reach higher levels of synthetic efficiency and selectivity by introducing the latest flow chemistry and automated reaction optimisation technology.Read moreRead less
Eradicating bacterial biofilms with nitroxide-antimicrobial hybrids. This project aims to develop new antimicrobials to address the rise of drug-resistant infections and resilient bacterial communities called biofilms. We aim to break new ground in our fundamental knowledge of antimicrobial mechanisms and exploit this understanding by fusing cellular/molecular microbiology and synthetic chemistry approaches. We seek to gain an in-depth understanding of how nitroxides induce bacterial biofilm dis ....Eradicating bacterial biofilms with nitroxide-antimicrobial hybrids. This project aims to develop new antimicrobials to address the rise of drug-resistant infections and resilient bacterial communities called biofilms. We aim to break new ground in our fundamental knowledge of antimicrobial mechanisms and exploit this understanding by fusing cellular/molecular microbiology and synthetic chemistry approaches. We seek to gain an in-depth understanding of how nitroxides induce bacterial biofilm dispersal, which is critical for the discovery of anti-biofilm molecules that do not fail due to resistance development. These breakthroughs should induce a step-change in our ability to reduce the occurrence of biofilm-related infection in fields ranging from medical and veterinary to biotechnology and agriculture.Read moreRead less
Manufacturing Nanostructured Polymer Thin Films using Visible Light. This research aims the development of selective photochemical tools driven by different colours of light for the fabrication of nanostructured polymer brush thin films. By using different wavelengths to selectively activate specific chemical reactions, this will enable multiple reactions to be performed simultaneously, significantly streamlining fabrication. Additionally, the increased selectivity offers pathways to more sophis ....Manufacturing Nanostructured Polymer Thin Films using Visible Light. This research aims the development of selective photochemical tools driven by different colours of light for the fabrication of nanostructured polymer brush thin films. By using different wavelengths to selectively activate specific chemical reactions, this will enable multiple reactions to be performed simultaneously, significantly streamlining fabrication. Additionally, the increased selectivity offers pathways to more sophisticated nanoarchitectures in comparison to existing methods. This research will lead to the fabrication of 3D polymer brush architectures with unparalleled precision, which will be of high scientific and industrial value for a diverse range of applications, such as optoelectronics, nanoactuation, and sensing.Read moreRead less
New Horizons in Quinonedimethide Chemistry. Quinonedimethides (QDMs) are organic molecules with a notorious reputation for instability, hence they are poorly understood and an underexploited resource. This project will unite the ideally suited computational and experimental skills of the CIs to perform the first thorough investigation into fundamental QDM chemistry. It aims to map structure-reactivity in QDMs, investigate their ability to rapidly generate complex structures, and demonstrate thei ....New Horizons in Quinonedimethide Chemistry. Quinonedimethides (QDMs) are organic molecules with a notorious reputation for instability, hence they are poorly understood and an underexploited resource. This project will unite the ideally suited computational and experimental skills of the CIs to perform the first thorough investigation into fundamental QDM chemistry. It aims to map structure-reactivity in QDMs, investigate their ability to rapidly generate complex structures, and demonstrate their potential in spintronics and other applications. Anticipated outcomes include powerful and general new synthetic concepts, methods, strategies and tactics. This should provide significant benefits, such as better ways to manufacture important medicines and other materials.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100065
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$423,808.00
Summary
Designing Organocatalysts to Achieve Hyperpolarised Magnetic Resonance. Magnetic resonance techniques (such as MRI scans) suffer from an inherent insensitivity problem. In medical imaging, this can hamper diagnosis and mean long scan times for patients. This project aims to chemically develop catalysts which dramatically increase sensitivity, producing a signal that is thousands of times more visible. This project is significant as these catalysts can turn common, harmless molecules in the body ....Designing Organocatalysts to Achieve Hyperpolarised Magnetic Resonance. Magnetic resonance techniques (such as MRI scans) suffer from an inherent insensitivity problem. In medical imaging, this can hamper diagnosis and mean long scan times for patients. This project aims to chemically develop catalysts which dramatically increase sensitivity, producing a signal that is thousands of times more visible. This project is significant as these catalysts can turn common, harmless molecules in the body - even water - into visible tracers. The expected outcomes of this project include the synthesis and understanding of these catalysts which will be chemically fine-tuned to maximise their effectiveness. Potential benefits include translation to MRI applications to improve diagnosis and treatment, or chemical monitoring.Read moreRead less
Harnessing molecular strain for drug discovery and bioconjugation. Peptides and proteins are increasingly important therapies for the treatment of disease. Nevertheless, the synthesis and optimisation of these high-value compounds still relies primarily on technologies developed decades ago. There is a desperate need for modern strategies to unlock the full potential of peptides and proteins for diverse applications in drug discovery. This interdisciplinary research aims to develop new tools for ....Harnessing molecular strain for drug discovery and bioconjugation. Peptides and proteins are increasingly important therapies for the treatment of disease. Nevertheless, the synthesis and optimisation of these high-value compounds still relies primarily on technologies developed decades ago. There is a desperate need for modern strategies to unlock the full potential of peptides and proteins for diverse applications in drug discovery. This interdisciplinary research aims to develop new tools for the construction and modification of peptides and proteins by harnessing the energy in a unique class of strained molecules. A focus on peptide-based inhibitors of the proteasome, a critical target for modern cancer treatments, should provide future health and economic benefits for the Australian community.Read moreRead less