Join us as we hear from Dr Suzanne M. Neville from University of NSW, who will discuss her research in the field of Porous coordination polymers (PCPs).
OVERVIEW
Soft porous crystals, defined as porous solids that possess both a highly ordered network and structural transformability, offer a unique set of selective storage and separation functionalities. Porous coordination polymers (PCPs) are a characteristic example of such systems as they are highly crystalline, soft and have tunable porous architectures. In ‘third generation’ PCPs, synergistic framework transformations occur in response to molecular guests, resulting in guest-switchable bistability (i.e., ‘gated’ porous behaviour) and can lead to emergent porous properties. Importantly, aside from a purely structural transformation, other physical attributes, such as electron transfer and spin state, can be perturbed in parallel with PCP flexing. These multi- functioning PCPs offer advanced capabilities, such as molecular sensing due to strong coupling between the host lattice and the guest.
Dr Suzanne Neville's research in the field of PCPs focuses on exploiting their structural flexibility to tailor the transition pathway and characteristics of spin crossover-active framework materials. Spin crossover (SCO) is a classic example of molecular switching, whereby two distinct states (high spin [HS] and low spin [LS]) can be accessed by external perturbation. The research has shown that by integrating arrays of competing host-host and host-guest interactions into such frameworks, mixed spin state species (HSnLS1-n) can be stabilised. External perturbation on such species sees the emergence of multistep spin transition pathways, which are sought after for higher order data storage applications and advance our fundamental appreciation of lattice cooperativity.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr Suzanne M. Neville (University of NSW)
Dr Neville is a Senior Lecturer at the University of NSW, carrying out research in coordination and materials chemistry. She completed a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in 2000 and a PhD in 2005, both at the University of Sydney. Dr Neville moved to Monash University in 2006 to join the Molecular Magnetism Group as a postdoctoral researcher, before taking up a Marie Curie Fellowship at the Institut de Chemie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux in France in 2008. In 2010, she joined the CSIRO's Process Science and Engineering Division in Melbourne as a X-Ray Diffraction Laboratory Manager, then became an Australian Research Fellow at Monash University in 2011 before moving to the University of Sydney in 2013 and the University of NSW in 2017, where she was appointed a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry and Future Fellow.
Dr Neville is the Royal Australian Chemical Institute's 2018 Alan Sargeson Lecturer. This Distinguished Visitor Lecture is part of the Alan Sargeson Lectureship award, which assists the recipient to undertake a lecture tour of Australia and New Zealand.
This lecture supports Institute for Future Environments research on Manufacturing with Advanced Materials.
