{"id":8,"date":"2017-11-21T14:16:20","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T01:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/brooker\/?page_id=8"},"modified":"2023-05-21T10:33:20","modified_gmt":"2023-05-20T22:33:20","slug":"research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/brooker\/research\/","title":{"rendered":"Research"},"content":{"rendered":"

Research interests<\/h2>\n

My research group is currently working in the following areas:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Designer heterocycle-containing and diphenylamine-containing ligands (including macrocycles) and coordination complexes: design, synthesis, crystal structure determinations, magnetic and redox properties, plus activity as catalysts<\/strong> for carbon zero\/neutral fuels production<\/li>\n
  2. Non-toxic coordination complexes as catalysts for (a) generation of green hydrogen<\/strong><\/a> (C-zero fuel<\/strong>) from water (HER) and for (b) selective reduction of carbon dioxide<\/strong> to C-neutral fuels and commodity chemicals (CO2RR). Both are being studied under electrocatalytic<\/strong> (in collaboration with Prof Aaron Marshall<\/a>, Canterbury) and photocatalytic<\/strong> (solar fuels, link to short movie:\u00a02019 Solar fuels 13_Sally_Brooker_SciMediaSavvy<\/a>) (in collaboration with\u00a0Prof Garry Hanan)<\/a> conditions. Including homogeneous<\/strong> and heterogeneous<\/strong> (immobilised on solid support, in collaboration with Prof Marshall) testing.<\/li>\n
  3. Spin crossover complexes (link to Radio NZ interview)<\/a> – towards nanoswitches<\/strong> and memory devices, or sensors<\/strong>. We measure magnetic data in house (and M\u00f6ssbauer spectroscopy 4.6-300 K via in collaboration with Dr Guy Jameson, now at Melbourne University)<\/li>\n
  4. Single Molecule Magnets (SMMs): one-pot self-assembly of soluble stable 3d-4f tetrametallic SMMs, by formation of a large organic Schiff-base macrocyclic ligands with differing coordination pockets, N2<\/sub>O2<\/sub>\u00a0for 3d and central O6<\/sub>\u00a0for 4f, and differing ring sizes (in collaboration with\u00a0Prof Annie Powell<\/a>, KIT; detailed magnetic studies with Dr Rodolphe Clerac, Bordeaux)<\/li>\n
  5. Attachment of magnetically interesting complexes to nanoparticles (in house collaboration with A\/Prof Carla Meledandri)<\/li>\n
  6. Green polymerisation catalysts\u00a0for (i) controlled polymerisation of rac-lactide (from biomass not oil building blocks) – see Hannah Davidson’s award winning 3 minute movie:
    https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/brooker\/files\/2017\/11\/MESA-3-minute-video_14Nov.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

    and (ii) co-polymerisation of CO2<\/sub>\u00a0with epoxide (in collaboration with\u00a0Prof Charlotte Williams<\/a>, Imperial College London). See link to short movie:\u00a0Sally Brooker Sci Media Savvy_13Feb2015<\/a><\/li>\n

  7. Self-assembly of communicating arrays of transition metal ions – grids vs side-by-side complexes<\/li>\n
  8. Functional models of the Mn4<\/sub>Ca cluster, the oxygen evolving complex (OEC), otherwise known as the water oxidation catalyst (WOC), of green plants (2H2<\/sub>O = O2<\/sub>\u00a0+ 4H+<\/sup>\u00a0+ 4e–<\/sup>)<\/li>\n
  9. Lanthanide cages as a new generation of luminescent ‘probes’, in collaboration with Prof Sally McCormick<\/a>\u00a0(Biochemistry).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    More information about Research Interests<\/a><\/p>\n

    Team members can gain familiarity with a wide range of skills and techniques:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    1. Multistep organic synthesis of designer ligands, including heterocyclic chemistry<\/li>\n
    2. Macrocyclic chemistry (both direct and template synthesis, and transmetallations)<\/li>\n
    3. Coordination chemistry (mostly of 3d TMs but also of heavier TMs and 4f)<\/li>\n
    4. All new compounds are characterised by the usual standard methods (microanalysis, NMR, MS, IR etc)<\/li>\n
    5. Crystallisation methods (see our 2015 CCR paper: DOI: 10.1016\/j.ccr.2015.03.012) and X-ray structure determinations on the resulting single crystals (hands-on from data collection to solving and refining to publication standards)
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