H-Bonded and Metal Organic Frameworks

这项研究计划通过了解金属离子和分子如何组装的基础科学来瞄准新的功能材料。目标材料将是多孔的，核心研究挑战将是使网络中的孔洞稳定，并具有合适的大小、形状和维度。我们已经开发了一种新的两步法来制备这种材料，这种方法既满足了强相互作用的需要，又具有制造有序结构的能力。基于较弱氢键的新型多孔固体将被用来制造能够在适当的客体分子存在的情况下表现出门控行为的固体，从而产生非常有选择性的吸附剂。第二类高度坚固的材料也将被专门设计成形成3-D开放气孔的连接件作为目标。这两个家族都将通过竞争性实验进行研究，以挑战与工业相关的分离，如乙烯/乙炔和二甲苯异构体。第二个目标应用是使用这种材料来产生更好的质子导电材料。这是我们集团开创的一个领域，我们有能力利用上述平台制造出特殊的材料。有序和酸性稳定的支架将在质子传导性(&gt；5x10-1scm-1)和工作温度范围(150-200摄氏度)方面提供潜在的突破。下一步的研究将是控制这些体系中的颗粒大小和形态，以了解界面在导电中的作用，并使它们更容易被膜结合。我们还将探索这些类别的化合物用于吸附和传感化学试剂，方法是将固体中的孔隙与试剂的非危险结构模拟模板化。对于这个项目，知识将从分子设计和颗粒大小控制的其他主题转移，因为有希望的吸附材料将需要结合到复合材料中才能使用。*该计划属于基础科学领域，但它是以应用为导向的，它对有意义的目标采取了比其他部门可能存在的更高风险的方法。从这样一个项目中获得的技能是完全可以转移的，学生们被灌输了更大的发现意识和风险承受能力。

This research programme targets new functional materials by understanding the basic science of how metal ions and molecules assemble. The target materials will be porous and a core research challenge will be to make the holes in the networks stable and the right size, shape and dimensionality. We have developed a new two step method to make such materials that reconciles the need for strong interactions with the ability to make an ordered structure. New porous solids based on weaker H-bonds will be employed to make solids capable of showing gating behaviour in the presence of appropriate guest molecules leading to very selective sorbents. A second class of highly robust materials will also be targeted with linkers designed specifically to form 3-D open pores. Both of these families will be studied through competitive experiments for challenging separations of industrial relevance such as ethylene/acetylene and xylene isomers. A second target application is the use of such materials for generation of better proton conducting materials. This is a field that our group has pioneered and we are positioned to make exceptional materials with the platforms described above. The ordered and acid stable scaffoldings will offer potential breakthroughs both in levels of proton conductivity (>5x10-1 Scm-1) and operating temperature range (150-200 degC). A further stage of research will be to control the particle size and morphology in these systems to understand the role of interfaces in conduction and to make them more amenable to membrane incorporation. We will also explore these classes of compounds for sorption and sensing of chemical agents by templating the pores in the solids with non-hazardous structural mimics of the agents. For this project, knowledge will transfer from other subthemes both in molecular design and particle size control as promising sorbent materials will need to be incorporated into a composite form for use. ***The program is in the realm of basic science but it is "application-directed" by taking higher risk approaches to meaningful targets than would likely be possible in other sectors. The skills gained on such a project are fully transferable and the students are instilled with a greater sense of discovery and risk tolerance.