Molecules that, in structural terms, go beyond the boundaries of what is currently known both improve our
understanding of fundamental science, and have the potential for exciting and important downstream applications.

Using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy we have been able to identify the sites of substrate water binding and important structural changes which facilitate substrate binding. We can now examine the formation of the last intermediate and the mechanism of O-O bond formation.

With the increasing threat of climate change, understanding how photosynthetic organisms adapt to extreme conditions is a key field of research. We have two projects that relate to C. thermalis.

This project will involve the synthesis and characterization of new hybrid materials at the interface between organometallic chemistry and nanoscience.

Facile lithium/halogen exchange with BuLi affords lithiocarbynes which in turn react with a range of electrophiles. Using these strategies we have isolated examples of carbyne ligands based on B, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, P, As, Sb and Bi, e.g.,the tris(carbyne)silane H–Si(CMLn)3 shown.

This project will focus on understanding the behaviours of key battery materials via transmission electron microscopy, creating and analysing real-time videos of how they evolve during their use in battery cells.

This project will explore the synthesis and characterization of new π-delocalizable oligomers and dendrimers at the interface between organic/organometallic chemistry and polymer science.