Join Professor Deanna D’Alessandro, University of Sydney, for the second lecture as part of the Department of Chemical Engineering’s popular Distinguished Seminar Series.
Title:
Harnessing Electroactivity in Metal-Organic Frameworks: Fundamentals to Applications
Abstract:
Electroactive Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) offer a powerful platform to explore electron transfer phenomena within 3-dimensional coordination space. At the applied level, these materials have enormous potential as the basis for electrocatalysts, porous conductors, batteries and solar energy harvesting systems, amongst numerous other potential applications.1
This presentation will overview our team’s research in electroactive MOFs that integrate molecular components for electron transfer and their stimuli responsive properties.2-4 Key to our investigations have been solid-state AC/DC electrochemical methods and near-IR/Vis, EPR, FT-infrared and Raman spectroelectrochemical (SEC) techniques developed in our laboratory,1 providing powerful in situ probes for the optical and electron transfer characteristics of MOFs. Our experimental work is supported by theoretical and computational modelling, providing insights into the mechanisms and kinetics of charge transfer phenomena.
Harnessing their electroactive properties has enabled us to develop new porous semiconductors, electro- and photo-catalysts, all-optical and photothermal conversion devices, and novel methods for gas separations based on 3D printed MOFs.5-6 Our latest work with Australian renewables start-up company Southern Green Gas will be described,7 including our advances in green synthesis to technoeconomic analysis and 3D printing for prototyping. The context for this interdisciplinary and intersector project within the broader Net Zero Initiative will also be described.
Speaker biography:
Deanna D’Alessandro is a Professor in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry at the University of Sydney, and Director of the Net Zero Initiative in the Faculty of Engineering. She is a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.
She received her B.Sc.(Hons) (2000) and PhD (2006) degrees from James Cook University with Em. Prof. Richard Keene, conducting part of her PhD at the University of Sydney (Em, Prof. Noel Hush and Prof Jeff rTeimers) and Northwestern University (Prof. Joe Hupp).
To book:
This event is by calendar invite only. If you are interested in attending, please email chemeng.comms@imperial.ac.uk.
Attendance type:
In-person encouraged.
References | Biography
Selected references
1. D. M. D’Alessandro, Chem. Commun. 2016, 52, 8957-8971.
2. R. Murase, T. Hudson, T. Aldershof, K. Nguyen, J. Gluschke, E. Kenny, X. Zhou, T. Wang, M. van Koeverden, B. Powell, A. Micolich, B. Abrahams, D. M. D’Alessandro, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 13242-13253.
3. D. A. Sherman, R. Murase, S. G. Duyker, Q. Gu, W. Lewis, T. Lu, Y. Liu, D. M. D’Alessandro, Nature Commun. 2020, 11, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15510-7.
4. C. Hua, P. W. Doheny, B. Ding, B. Chan, M. Yu, D. M. D’Alessandro, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 6622-6630.
5. T. Wang, R. Sabatini, B. Chan, J. Hou, V. Huynh, N. Proschogo, Z. Xie, L. Gao, J. Zhang, B. Hawkett, R. Clarke, C.J. Kepert, V. Chen, G. Lakhwani, D. M. D’Alessandro, ACS Materials Lett. 2021, 3, 1599-1604.
6. E. R. Kearns, R. Gillespie, D. M. D’Alessandro, J. Mater. Chem. A 2021, 9, 27252-27270.
7. D. M. D’Alessandro, The Conversation, 2021, https://theconversation.com/engineers-have-built-machines-to-scrub-co-from-the-air-but-will-it-halt-climate-change-152975
Full biography
Deanna received post-doctoral research fellowships to study at the University of California at Berkeley, USA, with Prof. Jeff Long (2007-2009). Here she held a Dow Chemical Company American-Australian Fellowship and an 1851 Royal Commission Fellowship. She returned to the University of Sydney in 2010 as an independent L’Oreal-UNESCO Australia For Women in Science Fellow and USyd Post-doctoral Research Fellow. From 2011-2016 she held an Australian Research Council QEII Fellowship, during which time she was promoted from Lecturer to Associate Professor. She received an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship to focus on new research directions and industry collaborations (2018-2022). She was promoted to full Professor in 2021.
Her research interests include fundamental and applied aspects of materials chemistry, including Metal-Organic Framework materials. This includes their electrochemical and optical properties, their production using green chemistry methods and fabrication using 3D printing, and their applications in negative emissions technologies including Direct Air Capture. She has published over 170 scientific articles and book chapters, and 4 patents relating to her industry partnerships which have received >10,000 citations. Her group’s research been recognised by a number of national and international awards, including most recently, the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Australasian Lectureship.
Deanna is currently the Director of the Net Zero Initiative launched by the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sydney. This multidisciplinary Initiative brings together over 150 researchers across the University, with industry, government and community partners, to address the frontier research, translation and training which is required for our transformation towards net zero emissions by 2050, or sooner.