Understanding and Controlling Nanoscale Molecular Metal Oxides for Responsive Reaction Systems

该项目建立在最近建立的化学-化学工程-粒子工程合作的基础上，由EPSRC化学-化学工程学科跳跃种子基金资助。这笔赠款以借调的形式促进了合作，提高了每个合作者对新研究领域的认识。当前的学科跳跃项目过程强化分子金属氧化物使研究人员能够开始确定关键的科学挑战，这些挑战位于强化催化过程领域的三个学科之间的界面和具有新型物理性质的金属团簇的设计，可以在紧凑型反应器中开发和利用。学科跳跃模型为共同研究者提供了一个机会，以深入了解三个研究领域的新发展的问题和潜力：新型分子金属氧化物的合成，纳米颗粒在传热中的应用以及强化紧凑并联反应器系统的设计，这些研究领域现在开始产生科学成果与此同时，学科跳跃模型揭示了PI每个研究小组(LC /无机簇化学，现在专注于功能分子金属氧化物，AL /催化和反应器的新化学，现在专注于可逆开关功能的开发，YD /传热纳米流体，现在专注于纳米颗粒，自组装，和响应性纳米流体)，这只能通过LC， AL和YD的独特专业知识的结合来实现。在学科跳跃资助中生成的合成金属氧化物性能的初始数据，以及对所有三个领域协同发展的未来潜力的分析，导致了当前的提案。一个全面的计划将允许在过程强化和分子金属氧化物的潜在化学及其自我组织成更大的结构和聚集体的步骤变化。本研究旨在整合三个主要目标：(1)簇设计和合成，(2)催化剂和反应器设计，(3)纳米流体的合成和表征，将其结合在一个单一的保护伞下，以产生催化和工艺开发的综合方法。因此，所雇用的人员也将受益于在项目期间的关键时刻借调到每一个合作实验室。这将有额外的好处，吸引年轻的研究人员在化学和化学工程之间的研究界面。

This project builds on the recently established Chemistry-Chemical Engineering-Particle Engineering collaboration between Cronin, Lapkin and Ding, facilitated by an EPSRC Chemistry-Chemical Engineering Discipline Hopping seed grant. The grant enabled collaboration in the form of secondment, developing awareness of new research fields for each of the collaborators. The current discipline hopping project Molecular metal oxides for process intensification enabled the investigators to start identifying the key scientific challenges that lie at the interface between the three disciplines in the areas of intensified catalytic processes and the design of metal clusters with novel physical properties, that can be exploited and utilised in compact reactors. The discipline hopping model gave an opportunity to the co-investigators to gain in-depth understanding of the problems and potentials of new developments in the three research areas: synthesis of novel molecular metal oxides, application of nanoparticles in heat transfer and the design of intensified compact parallel reactor systems, which is now beginning to produce scientific output.1 At the same time, the discipline hopping model revealed the potential for a fundamental development in the research direction within each of the PI's research groups (LC / inorganic cluster chemistry, now having focus on functional molecular metal oxides, AL / novel chemistry for catalysis and reactors, now having focus on exploitation of reversible switching functionalities, YD / heat transfer nanofluids, now focusing on nanoparticles, self assembly, and responsive nanofluids) which could only be possible using the unique combination of expertise of LC, AL and YD. Initial data generated within the discipline hopping grant on the performance of synthesised metal oxides, and the analysis of the future potential of the synergistic development in all three areas resulted in the current proposal. A comprehensive program would allow a step change in process intensification and the underlying chemistry of molecular metal oxides and their self organisation into larger structures and aggregates. This research aims to integrate three main objectives: (1) cluster design and synthesis, (2) catalyst and reactor design, (3) synthesis and characterisation of nanofluids to be combined under a single umbrella to produce an integrated approach to catalysis and process development. As such the personnel employed will also benefit from secondment to each of the collaborating laboratories at critical points during the project. This will have the additional benefit of engaging young researchers at the research interface between chemistry and chemical engineering.