1. Designing Artificial Molecular Machines

Artificial molecular machines give chemists the unique ability to control motion at the nanoscale through external stimuli. Within the field, which has received increasing attention in recent decades, artificial molecular pumps are at the cutting edge. Capable of repeated unidirectional transport, pumps can be harnessed to act against natural gradients by taking macrocycles from a relatively dilute solution and storing them at higher concentrations. While moving away from equilibrium is ubiquitous in biology, it is exceedingly rare in synthetic chemistry. Our group actively researches the design and function of redox driven artificial molecular pumps to unlock novel chemistries.

2. Energy Storage Application - Rechargeable Batteries

Climate changes, depletion of fossil fuels, and global warming have encouraged scientific society to consider utilising energy from sustainable resources, including wind power and solar energy. Despite the fact that sustainable energy sources are highly abundant, the supply of sustainable resources fluctuates all the time. Recent advances in lithium-ion battery technology have enabled a power source ranging from portable electronic devices to electric vehicles. In the future, developing energy storage applications for renewable resources will become increasingly important.

Our research project will combine synthetic chemistry, electrochemistry, and materials science principles to develop advanced energy storage devices, in particular, rechargeable batteries. We are expecting to conduct interdisciplinary research and establish collaborations with other research groups.