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Three new ligands containing a bicyclo[2.2.2]oct‐7‐ene‐2,3,5,6‐tetracarboxydiimide unit have been used to assemble lantern‐type metal‐organic cages with the general formula [Cu4L4]. Functionalisation of the backbone of the ligands leads... more
Three new ligands containing a bicyclo[2.2.2]oct‐7‐ene‐2,3,5,6‐tetracarboxydiimide unit have been used to assemble lantern‐type metal‐organic cages with the general formula [Cu4L4]. Functionalisation of the backbone of the ligands leads to distinct crystal packing motifs between the three cages, as observed with single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The three cages vary in their gas sorption behaviour, and the capacity of the materials for CO2 is found to depend on the activation conditions: softer activation conditions lead to superior uptake, and one of the cages displays the highest BET surface area found for lantern‐type cages so far.
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A suite of composite materials comprising carbon xerogel content and TiO2 was synthesised via a modified sol–gel method. The textural, morphological, and optical properties of the composites were extensively characterised and correlated... more
A suite of composite materials comprising carbon xerogel content and TiO2 was synthesised via a modified sol–gel method. The textural, morphological, and optical properties of the composites were extensively characterised and correlated with the observed adsorption and photodegradation performances. The homogeneity and porous structure of the composites depended on the amount of TiO2 deposited in the carbon xerogel. During polymerisation, Ti-O-C linkages were formed, which favoured the adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of the target methylene blue dye. Adsorption was deemed favourable, and most accurately fitted by the Sips model, exhibiting a maximum uptake of 209 mg g−1 estimated for the sample containing 50% TiO2. However, the synergistic effect of adsorption and photocatalytic degradation for each composite depended on the amount of TiO2 deposited in the carbon xerogel. The dye degradation process for the composites with 50%, 70%, and 90% TiO2 improved by 37%, 11%, and 2...
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Recent studies on the removal of pollutants via adsorption include the use of carbon-based adsorbents, due to their high porosity and large surface area; however, such materials lack photoactive properties. This study evaluates the... more
Recent studies on the removal of pollutants via adsorption include the use of carbon-based adsorbents, due to their high porosity and large surface area; however, such materials lack photoactive properties. This study evaluates the synergistic effect of integrated mesoporous carbon xerogel (derived from resorcinol formaldehyde) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) for combined adsorption and photodegradation application. The complex formed between carbon xerogel and TiO2 phase was investigated through FTIR, proving the presence of a Ti-O–C chemical linkage. The physicochemical properties of the synthesised adsorbent–photocatalyst were probed using FESEM, BET analysis and UV–Vis analysis. The kinetics, equilibrium adsorption, effect of pH, and effect of adsorbent dosage were investigated. The expansion of the absorbance range to the visible range was verified, and the corresponding band gap evaluated. These properties enabled a visible light response when the system was exposed to visible lig...
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A new strategy to synthesise carbon/TiO2 gel by a sol–gel method is proposed. Textural, morphological, and chemical properties were characterised in detail and the synthesised material was proven to be an active adsorbent, as well as a... more
A new strategy to synthesise carbon/TiO2 gel by a sol–gel method is proposed. Textural, morphological, and chemical properties were characterised in detail and the synthesised material was proven to be an active adsorbent, as well as a visible light photocatalyst. Homogenously distributed TiO2 is mesoporous with high surface area and, hence, exhibited a high adsorption capacity. The adsorption equilibrium experimental data were well explained by the Sips isotherm model. Kinetic experiments demonstrated that experimental data fitted a pseudo second order model. The modification in electronic structure of TiO2 resulted in a reduced bandgap compared to commercial P25. The absorption edge studied through UV-Vis shifted to the visible region, hence, daylight photocatalytic activity was efficient against degradation of MB dye, as an example pollutant molecule. The material was easily removed post treatment, demonstrating potential for employment in industrial water treatment processes.
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An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
The production of resorcinol–formaldehyde xerogels has yielded insight into the gelation processes underpinning their structures. In this work, the role of the cation species from the catalyst is probed by studying the simultaneous... more
The production of resorcinol–formaldehyde xerogels has yielded insight into the gelation processes underpinning their structures. In this work, the role of the cation species from the catalyst is probed by studying the simultaneous addition of sodium carbonate and calcium carbonate to a resorcinol–formaldehyde mixture. Twenty-eight xerogels were prepared by varying the solids content, catalyst concentration, and catalyst composition, and each was analysed for its textural properties, including the surface area and average pore diameter. The results indicate that the role of the cation is linked to the stabilisation of the clusters formed within the system, and that the Group II catalyst causes the salting out of the oligomers, resulting in fewer, larger clusters, hence, an increase in pore size and a broadening of the pore size distribution. The results provide insight into how these systems can be further controlled to create tailored porous materials for a range of applications.
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An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
Outcomes of a 2014 small-scale survey, comparing employability skills perceptions of final year undergraduate students and alumni of the chemical and process engineering department at the University of Strathclyde, demonstrate some... more
Outcomes of a 2014 small-scale survey, comparing employability skills perceptions of final year undergraduate students and alumni of the chemical and process engineering department at the University of Strathclyde, demonstrate some significant factors in successful student transition into employment. Significant shifts of perceived importance of skills were found as graduates gain employment experience. Shifts in perceptions of skill importance can inform teaching practice, particularly for vocational subjects; e.g. the lower ranked importance of technical knowledge amongst graduates compared to students. However, in contrast, there was student-graduate agreement in their perceptions of the most important skill for work, which was also found to be lacking perceptions of educational experiences: communication skills. The literature and survey results finds group project work as beneficial in developing communication skills and a favourable learning method respectively. Reflections on...
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Resorcinol-formaldehyde gels offer a range of properties that can be exploited in a variety of applications, but better understanding of gel formation mechanisms is needed to enable rational control and optimisation of the... more
Resorcinol-formaldehyde gels offer a range of properties that can be exploited in a variety of applications, but better understanding of gel formation mechanisms is needed to enable rational control and optimisation of the physico-chemical characteristics of these materials. Our previous studies have focussed on investigating the formation pathways of these gels, using nuclear magnetic resonance and dynamic light-scattering techniques, as well as evaluating their final physical and chemical properties, via sorption and spectroscopic methods. Nuclear magnetic resonance has been used over the years to probe the chemical species formed during resorcinol-formaldehyde gel polymerisation, but the technique typically involves the prior addition of deuterium oxide to provide a deuterium lock for NMR measurements. However, the effect of deuterium oxide to resorcinol-formaldehyde systems is currently unknown, although the substitution of water by deuterium oxide has been previously reported t...
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Native Scottish wood samples were investigated as potential, locally sourced, raw materials for biochar production. Screening experiments identified pure softwood as the preferable feedstock. Influence of operational parameters, i.e.... more
Native Scottish wood samples were investigated as potential, locally sourced, raw materials for biochar production. Screening experiments identified pure softwood as the preferable feedstock. Influence of operational parameters, i.e. activating gas flow rate (CO2), heating ramp rate and contact time on final biochar characteristics, was investigated using design of experiments. Surface area and biochar yield were selected as response variables. Minitab was used to define experimental run conditions and suggested an optimal output at 60 min contact time and 15 °C/min ramp rate for maximum responses. The highest surface area (764 m2/g) was achieved at 850 °C from softwood, albeit with a low yield of 15%. Under optimised conditions, the observed surface area was 613 m2/g with ~ 18% yield. Pareto charts suggested no influence of gas flow rate on chosen responses, which correlated well with experimental data. Pore structure was a combination of micro- and mesopores with average pore widt...
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Biochar production from sustainable materials through pyrolysis remains a key area of research, where additional value can be gained by understanding the influence of initial operating parameters to create optimised carbon products with... more
Biochar production from sustainable materials through pyrolysis remains a key area of research, where additional value can be gained by understanding the influence of initial operating parameters to create optimised carbon products with different characteristics. In this study, native Scottish wood samples were used to produce biochars. Softwood and hardwood samples were investigated to determine feedstock importance, with a focus on the influence of process conditions on the final characteristics of biochars. Screening experiments helped to determine that the softwood feedstock resulted in enhanced product characteristics and identified the optimal pyrolysis temperature. A design of experiments approach was used to scope process variables for softwood feedstock: contact time with activating agent, gas flowrate, and influence of ramp rate during pyrolysis were studied. The response variables were product yield and biochar surface area. As expected, product yield decreased with incre...
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Resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF) gels are porous materials synthesized via a sol–gel reaction and subsequently dried, producing structures with high surface areas and low densities—properties that are highly attractive for use in various... more
Resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF) gels are porous materials synthesized via a sol–gel reaction and subsequently dried, producing structures with high surface areas and low densities—properties that are highly attractive for use in various applications. The RF gel reaction takes place in the presence of a catalyst, either acidic or basic in nature, the concentration of which significantly impacts final gel properties. The full extent of the catalyst’s role, however, has been subject to debate, with the general consensus within the field being that it is simply a pH-adjuster. The work presented here explores this theory, in addition to other theories postulated in the literature, through the synthesis and analysis of RF gels catalysed by mixtures of relevant compounds with varying concentrations. The relationship between catalyst concentration and initial solution pH is decoupled, and the individual roles of both the cation and the anion within the catalyst are investigated. The results pr...
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An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
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ABSTRACT Willow, a leading bioenergy feedstock, may be planted for bioremediation and has been used, more recently, as the biomass feedstock in the manufacture of biochar for agricultural applications. Here, we present a detailed study of... more
ABSTRACT Willow, a leading bioenergy feedstock, may be planted for bioremediation and has been used, more recently, as the biomass feedstock in the manufacture of biochar for agricultural applications. Here, we present a detailed study of the physical and chemical factors affecting willow char properties, where the feedstock is a by-product of bioremediation, potentially transferring pollutants such as heavy metals to the wood feed. Biochar samples were produced via pyrolysis of short-rotation coppice willow, grown on contaminated land, using several treatment times at heat treatment temperatures (HTTs) in the range 350–650 °C, under a constant flow of argon, set at either 100 or 500 mL min−1. The samples were analysed for yield, elemental analysis and structural characteristics, including surface area and pore size distribution, surface functionality and metal content. All chars obtained have high fixed carbon contents but vary in surface characteristics with a marked increase in basic character with increasing HTT, ascribed to the removal of surface oxygen moieties. Results indicate a minimum pyrolysis temperature of 450 °C is required to produce a defined mesoporous structure, as required to facilitate oxygen transport, HTT ≥ 550 °C produces total surface area of >170 m2 g−1 and, more importantly, an appreciable external surface area suitable for microbial colonisation. The data show that selection and optimisation of char properties is possible; however, the interplay of factors may mean some compromise is required.
Research Interests: Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Phytoremediation, Renewable Energy, Biomass, and 15 moreBioenergy, BIOCHAR, Pyrolysis, Heat Treatment, Soil Pollution, Biofuels, Temperature, Raw Material, Soil Types, Willow, Soil Amendments, Physical Properties, Char, Short Rotation Coppice, and Hyperaccumulator plants
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An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely... more
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.