Activities
A selection of our activities, news and views:
Science and the Senedd, 2018
Engaging with policymakers for Wales
We were delighted to take along our porous materials models and VR game to engage, entertain and educate members of the Welsh Senedd on a day dedicated to bringing science to the Assembly, supported by the Royal Society of Chemistry and Cardiff University.
Daniel J. Cerasale, Dominic C. Ward & Timothy L. Easun
Nature Reviews Chemistry, 2022, 6, 930
DOI: 10.1038/s41570-021-00336-8
What do MOFs and their guests do over time? How do we know?
Understanding the time-dependent behaviours of MOFs and their guests is critical to understanding and developing these fascinating materials into the future. This Review provides an overview of current research into the temporal evolution of MOF structures and properties by analysing the time-resolved experimental techniques that can be used to monitor such behaviours. We focus on innovative techniques, while also discussing older methods often used in other chemical systems. Four areas are examined: MOF formation, guest motion, electron motion and framework motion. In each area, we highlight the disparity between the relatively small amount of (published) research on key time-dependent phenomena and the enormous scope for acquiring the wider and deeper understanding that is essential for the future of the field.
Enabling batch and microfluidic non-thermal plasma chemistry: reactor design and testing
P. Roszkowska, A. Dickenson, J. E. Higham, T. L. Easun, J. L. Walsh &
A. G. Slater
Lab Chip, 2023, 23, 2720
DOI: 10.1039/D3LC00016H
Can we do chemistry using non-thermal plasmas?
In a departure from MOF chemistry, we used an interdisciplinary approach that incorporated Tim's spectroscopic expertise to study plasma chemistry in batch and microfluidic flow conditions. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is a promising state of matter for carrying out chemical reactions. NTP offers high densities of reactive species, without the need for a catalyst, while operating at atmospheric pressure and remaining at moderate temperature. Despite its potential, NTP cannot be used comprehensively in reactions until the complex interactions of NTP and liquids are better understood. To achieve this, NTP reactors that can overcome challenges with solvent evaporation, enable inline data collection, and achieve high selectivity, high yield, and high throughput are required. Here, we detail the construction of i) a microfluidic reactor for chemical reactions using NTP in organic solvents and ii) a corresponding batch setup for control studies and scale-up. The use of microfluidics enables controlled generation of NTP and subsequent mixing with reaction media without loss of solvent. The construction of a low-cost custom mount enables inline optical emission spectroscopy using a fibre optic probe at points along the fluidic pathway, which is used to probe species arising from NTP interacting with solvents. We demonstrate the decomposition of methylene blue in both reactors, developing an underpinning framework for applications in NTP chemical synthesis.