Programmable Molecular Metal Oxides (PMMOs): From Fundamentals to Application

基于金属氧化物的技术每年价值超过一万亿美元，应用于微芯片、硬盘、显示器、玻璃涂层、防晒霜、化学催化剂和超导体。在几乎所有的情况下，金属氧化物基材料都是由“固态”无限材料组成的，这些材料需要高温处理，并且很难系统地修改。我们一直在研究一类称为多金属氧酸盐（pom）的分子金属氧化物。分子金属氧化物或多金属氧酸盐簇（POMs）的研究提供了无与伦比的分子结构多样性，显示出广泛的性质。在过去的5年里，我们已经改变了这个领域，展示了如何控制集群的组装，包括本质上具有电子活性的主客系统的精确设计。现在，由于我们的研究人员的临界质量和专业知识，以及最先进的单晶x射线衍射，使用微源和区域探测器，低温喷雾和离子迁移质谱，光谱学，流动系统，微系统和电化学测量，我们是全球领先的团队，能够开发设计方法来生产集群和构建块，可以将分子与纳米级连接起来。在以下领域使用可编程方法的微型和设备/系统级：(i)电子材料；（二）有机无机杂化分子和材料；（iii）应急材料和结构；（iv）连续发现、处理和扩大纳米级集群。平台融资将使我们能够保持临界质量，开展有风险的交叉项目，这通常不可能使用响应式融资模式，并允许连续性。这些方面在这里尤为重要，因为在过去的几年里，该小组展示了一种独特的研究理念，开发了新的合成领域、基本思想、技术和独特的研究方法，包括拥抱推进化学研究所需的重要学科（例如化学工程、光学物理、电子工程等）。尽管这些项目高度集中于特定的领域，但是由于这种集成，团队已经变得高度集成并且更加成功，但是单个项目可以用来集成团队是有限制的。平台赠款的关键方面将是额外的整合，增加的价值远远超过通过标准响应模式资助较小赠款所可能实现的价值，并帮助由许多不同赠款资助的高度集成的大型研究小组保持整合，响应和动态。我们还将利用平台机制发展集团内资助的人员，鼓励他们批判性地思考，发展独立性，利用独特的项目组合的新想法和方法，发展他们作为学者，实业家和专家的职业生涯的专业知识，能够将基础与应用方面联系起来。

Metal oxide based technology is worth over a trillion dollars per year with applications in microchips, hard disks, displays, glass coatings, sun screen, chemical catalysts, and superconductors. In almost all instances the metal oxide based materials are comprised of 'solid-state' infinite materials which require high temperature processing and can be difficult to modify systematically. We have been working on a class of molecular metal oxides called polyoxometalates (POMs). Research in molecular metal oxides or polyoxometalate clusters (POMs) provides an unrivalled structural diversity of molecules, displaying a wide range of properties. During the past 5 years we have transformed the area demonstrating how to control the assembly of the clusters, including the precise design of host-guest systems that are intrinsically electronically active. Now, due to our researcher critical mass and expertise, and state of the art single crystal X-ray diffraction using microsource and area detectors, cryospray and ion mobility mass spectrometry, spectroscopy, flow systems, microsystems, and electrochemical measurements we are the leading group worldwide capable of developing designed approaches to producing clusters and building blocks that can link the molecular with the nanoscale, microscale and device / system level using a programmable approach in the following areas: (i) electronic materials; (ii) hybrid organic inorganic molecules and materials; (iii) emergent materials and structures; (iv) continuous flow discovery, processing and scale up nanoscale clusters. Platform funding will allow us to maintain critical mass, embark on risky cross-cutting projects that are not normally possible using responsive mode funding, allow continuity. These aspects are particularly important here since during the last few years the group has demonstrated a unique research philosophy developing new synthetic areas, fundamental ideas, techniques, and unique research approaches including embracing important disciplines needed to advance the chemical research (e.g. chemical engineering, optical physics, electrical engineering and so on). Although these projects are highly focussed on specific areas, the group has become highly integrated and more successful as a result of this integration but there is a limit to which individual projects can be used to integrate the group. The key aspect of the Platform grant will be the additional integration, adding value way beyond what would be possible through standard responsive mode funding of smaller grants, as well as helping a highly integrated and large research group funded by many different grants remain integrated, responsive, and dynamic. We will also use the Platform mechanism to develop the people funded within the group encouraging them to think critically, develop independence, a new ideas and approaches that exploit the unique mix of projects, expertise developing their careers as academics, industrialists and experts able to link fundamental with applied aspects.