Functional Hybrid Materials

 

We design hybrid materials where composition, morphology and interfaces are engineered across length scales to deliver function - spanning polymerisation catalyst supports, 2D nanosheets, and hierarchical core@shell / hollow architectures for catalysis and separations.

Solid MAO supports for olefin polymerisation

Insoluble solid MAO (sMAO) activator/support materials prepared via controlled hydrolysis/thermolysis enable robust immobilisation of metallocene precatalysts for slurry-phase ethylene polymerisation. Surface modification yields sMMAO variants with enhanced activity and tunable surface chemistry.

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LDH nanosheets via AMOST

A central platform is scalable synthesis of 2D layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets with ultra-high surface areas (often >750 m2 g-1) using optimised aqueous miscible organic solvent treatment (AMOST). AMOST yields porous, well-dispersed monolayer nanosheets across wide composition space, enabling systematic structure-property optimisation.

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Hierarchical LDH-derived hybrids: core@shell and hollow catalysts

Core@shell and hollow architectures increase pore volume and mass transfer and position active sites precisely. Hollow spheres functionalised with Cu/Zn/Al either as nanoparticles in the void or as an LDH shell deliver strong performance per gram of catalyst despite reduced Cu loading, highlighting efficient utilisation of active metals enabled by LDH chemistry.

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References (chronological)

  • Kilpatrick et al., Chem. Mater. 2016, 28(20), 7444-7450.

  • Kilpatrick et al., Organometallics 2018, 37(1), 156-164.

  • Yu et al., Nat. Commun. 2019, 10, 2398.

  • Kilpatrick et al., Mater. Chem. Front. 2020, 4, 3226-3233.

  • Lamb et al., Macromolecules 2020, 53, 5847-5856.

  • Chen et al., Dalton Trans. 2020, 49, 8498-8503.

  • Leung et al., Dalton Trans. 2020, 49, 9306-9311.

  • Chen et al., Green Chem. 2020, 22(10), 3117-3121.

  • Lyu et al., New J. Chem. 2020, 44, 10095-10101.

  • Yu et al., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2020, 12(9), 10973-10982.

  • Marin et al., Chem. Eng. J. 2025, 525.

  • Zhao et al., Adv. Sci. 2025, (PEI-modified AMO-LDH; DAC paper).

  • Yang et al., Inorg. Chem. 2025, (MgAl-layered double oxide scattering study).

  • Kondratowicz et al., J. Mater. Chem. A 2025, 13, 29138-29146.