Joel Cornelio

Doctor of Philosophy, (Chemistry)
Study Completed: 2021
College of Sciences

Citation

Thesis Title
Photophysical and Catalytic Properties of Multicomponent Metal-Organic Frameworks

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of crystalline, porous materials which have proven applications in gas storage, chemical sensing, and catalysis. Although most MOFs consist of one metal and one organic compound, Mr Cornelio studied a diverse range of possible applications of a rare class of MOFs containing one metal and three organic components. He investigated a new method of generating white light and studied the transfer of energy between the organic constituents at nanosecond and picosecond timescales. He also proved that the transfer of electrons is possible in these materials and that the positive and negative charges could stay separated for long time periods, an aspect useful in making electrical devices. The porous nature of these MOFs made them ideal platforms for accelerating chemical reactions, an idea which was applied for tuning the less common class of intramolecular reactions.

Supervisors
Professor Shane Telfer
Associate Professor Gareth Rowlands