Inorganic and Materials Chemistry

Research in Inorganic Chemistry at Nottingham is very wide-ranging and interdisciplinary with many national, European and international collaborations. Research interests encompass a diverse range of interests which interface with physics, biology, pharmacy, materials and computational science and chemical engineering. The common feature of Inorganic Chemistry at Nottingham is the use, study and understanding of novel molecular interactions or unusual synthetic or engineering procedures to yield new compounds, properties, catalysis and function.

Coordination, organometallic and supramolecular chemistry

• Synthesis of transition metal and f-element complexes and complexes that challenge the traditional views of bonding and reactivity
• Small molecule activation and homogeneous catalysis by organometallic complexes
• Single isomer chiral metal complex chemistry
• Surface, solution and solid-state supramolecular self-assembly, including crystal engineering
• Photochemistry and time-resolved spectroscopy to probe both excited states and reaction mechanisms

Biological inorganic chemistry

• Chemistry of the catalysis accomplished by metal centres in enzymes, especially in oxygen atom transfer at Mo or W and activity that requires a metal and a phenoxyl radical
• Coordination complexes as mimics for NiFe hydrogenase and catalytic hydrogen/proton interconversion for fuel cells
• Complementary spectroscopic and theoretical techniques to probe the electronic structure of transition metal complexes and metalloenzyme active sites
• Metal intercalators as IR probes of DNA damage, sensors of biological molecules and models of water splitting by photosystem II.

Nanomaterials, Solid State and Polymer Chemistry

• Synthesis, processing and characterisation of carbon nanotubes and fullerenes
• Nanostructure formation via self-assembly of molecular hosts: molecular entrapment and organisation on surfaces
• Nanomaterials and light framework polymers for gas (hydrogen, methane, VOC) storage, absorption and extraction
• Polymer synthesis and processing using supercritical carbon dioxide: from drug delivery devices, tissue engineering scaffolds, unique polymer blends and photonic materials
• Synthesis of new magnetic oxides and ionic conducting materials with tailored structures

Green and Analytical Chemistry and Clean Technology

• Cleaner reaction chemistry in supercritical water
• Continuous reactions in supercritical CO2 from lab-scale to  commercial plant
•  UHV spectroscopic techniques for the characterisation and in-situ monitoring of catalytic processes in ionic liquids
•  Solution XPS to measure controlled changes in physical properties for sensor and imaging application

Structural Chemistry

• Single crystal X-ray diffraction and structural studies at low temperature, high pressure; experimental charge density studies.