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Dr deanna d'alessandro


Contact Details

Australian Research Council Queen Elizabeth(II) Fellow
Room 457 / 442
School of Chemistry, Building F11
The University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
E: deanna@chem.usyd.edu.au
T: +61 (2) 9351-3777
F: +61 (2) 9351-3329
W: http://www.chem.usyd.edu.au/~deanna

Career Profile

  • BSc (Hons I & Medal), James Cook University, 2000
  • PhD (cum laude), James Cook University, 2005
  • Medal for Excellence for a Doctoral Research Thesis, James Cook University, 2006
  • Cornforth Medal, RACI, 2006
  • Winner "Fresh Science", 2006
  • IUPAC Prize for Young Chemists, 2007
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Molecular Electronics Group, University of Sydney, 2006
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California at Berkeley, 2007-2009
  • Dow Chemical Company Fellow, American-Australian Association, 2007
  • Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Research Fellow, 2007-2009
  • R.H. Dalton Memorial Lecture in Chemical Catalysis, California Institute of Technology, 2009
  • University of Sydney Postdoctoral Research Fellow, 2010
  • L'Oreal Australia for Women in Science Fellow, 2010
  • Australian Research Council QEII Fellow, 2010-2015
  • Winner "Young Tall Poppy Science Award" from the Australian Institute of Policy and Science, 2011.

Areas of Interest

  • Synthetic inorganic chemistry
  • New materials for Greenhouse Gas capture and sequestration
  • Electron and energy transfer in purely organic and metal-organic frameworks
  • Solution- and solid-state spectroelectrochemical methods
  • Fundamental and applied aspects of mixed valency

Details of Research

My research spans the areas of inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry and materials science and focuses on the development of functional inorganic materials that exhibit novel electronic, optical and magnetic phenomena. Potential applications range from the capture of greenhouse gases to sensors, optoelectronics devices and photocatalysis. The key aspect is gaining an understanding of the fundamental relationships between the structural features of the solution- and solid-state materials and their physical properties.

 

Carbon Dioxide Capture
The development of more efficient processes for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture is considered a key to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions implicated in global warming. Highly porous three-dimensional solids known as metal-organic frameworks will be developed for use as CO2 capture materials and will be characterised using a range of techniques (X-ray and neutron diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and gas sorption measurements). The ultimate goal is the development of industrially-viable materials that can be readily integrated into industrial processes.

 

Microporous Conductors
This project involves the design and synthesis of purely organic and metal-organic frameworks that exhibit the highly sought-after property of redox-activity (i.e. electronic conductivity). The new materials will be based on "radical" ligands and mixed-valence metal clusters of Mo, W, Ru and Os, amongst others. Solid-state electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical techniques will be developed to investigate the conductivity properties. The opportunities for advances at a fundamental and applied level are immense, with potential applications ranging from sensors to molecular electronics devices.


Photo-Active Metal-Organic Frameworks
Recently, methodologies for the postsynthetic covalent functionalisation of metal-organic frameworks have opened up fascinating prospects for building complexity into the pores. This project involves the synthesis of materials as "photoswitchable molecular sieves" in which light can be used to modulate the size and polarity of the pores. Measurements on the structural and physical properties of the materials will require the development of novel techniques to probe the light-activated gas permeation properties.


Mixed Valency in "Excited" Molecules
The complex interplay between electronic and magnetic interactions is ubiquitous in chemical and physical systems (e.g., solid-state superconductors, spintronics devices) and in metalloenzymes in nature. Experimental studies in which these phenomena coexist are extremely rare. This will be addressed by developing dinuclear mixed-valence complexes which incorporate a series of bridging ligands that can mediate strong ferromagnetic coupling between metal ions with unpaired electrons. The findings will have significant implications for the experimental and theoretical understanding of systems which exhibit novel magnetic and electronic phenomena.


Selected Publications (2009 to 2013)

  1. Hua, C; Turner, P and D'Alessandro, DM. Electrochemical and optical properties of a redox-active Cu(II) coordination framework incorporating the tris(4-(pyridin-4-yl)phenyl)amine ligand. Dalton Transactions, 42 (18), 6310-6313, 2013. DOI: 10.1039/c3dt50377a

  2. Usov, PM; Keene, TD and D'Alessandro, DM. A comparative study of the structural, optical, and electrochemical properties of squarate-based coordination frameworks. Australian Journal of Chemistry, 66 (4), 429-435, 2013. DOI: 10.1071/CH12474

  3. Liang, W and D'Alessandro, DM. Microwave-assisted solvothermal synthesis of zirconium oxide based metal-organic frameworks. Chemical Communications, 49 (35), 3706-3708, 2013. DOI: 10.1039/c3cc40368h

  4. Das, A; Choucair, M; Southon, PD; Mason, JA; Zhao, M; Kepert, CJ; Harris, AT and D'Alessandro, DM. Application of the piperazine-grafted CuBTTri metal-organic framework in postcombustion carbon dioxide capture. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 174, 74-80, 2013. DOI: 10.1016/j.micromeso.2013.02.036

  5. Das, A; Southon, PD; Zhao, M; Kepert, CJ; Harris, AT and D'Alessandro, DM. Carbon dioxide adsorption by physisorption and chemisorption interactions in piperazine-grafted Ni2(dobdc) (dobdc = 1,4-dioxido-2,5-benzenedicarboxylate). Dalton Tranactions, 41 (38), 11739-11744, 2012. DOI: 10.1039/c2dt31112g

  6. Keene, TD; D'Alessandro, DM; Krämer, KW; Price, JR; Price, DJ; Decurtins, S and Kepert, CJ. [V16O38(CN)]9-: A soluble mixed-valence redox-active building block with strong antiferromagnetic coupling. Inorganic Chemistry, 51 (17), 9192-9199, 2012. DOI: 10.1021/ic3001834

  7. Usov, PM; Fabian, C and D'Alessandro, DM. Rapid determination of the optical and redox properties of a metal-organic framework via in situ solid state spectroelectrochemistry. Chemical Communications, 48, 3945-3947, 2012. DOI: 10.1039/C2CC30568B

  8. Li, F; Clegg, JK; D'Alessandro, DM; Goux-Capes, L; Sciortino, NF; Keene, TD and Kepert, CJ. Self-assembled Co(II) molecular squares incorporating the bridging ligand 4,7-phenanthrolino-5,6:5´,6´-pyrazine. Dalton Transactions, 40 (45), 12388-12393, 2011. DOI: 10.1039/c1dt11254f

  9. McDonald, TM; D'Alessandro, DM; Krishna, R and Long, JR. Enhanced carbon dioxide capture upon incorporation of N,N'-dimethylethylenediamine in the metal-organic framework CuBTTri. Chemical Science, 2 (10), 2022-2028,2011. DOI: 10.1039/c1sc00354b.


  10. D'Alessandro, DM; Kanga, JRR and Caddy, JS. Towards conducting metal-organic frameworks. Australian Journal of Chemistry, 64 (6), 718-722, 2011. DOI: 10.1071/CH11039

  11. Li, F; Clegg, JK; Goux-Capes, L; Chastanet, G; D'Alessandro, DM; Létard, J-F and Kepert, CJ. A mixed-spin molecular square with a hybrid [2x2]grid/metallocyclic architecture. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 50 (12), 2820-2823, 2011. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201007409

  12. D'Alessandro, DM and McDonald, T. Toward carbon dioxide capture using nanoporous materials. Pure Appl. Chem., 83 (1), 57-66, 2011. DOI: 10.1351/PAC-CON-10-09-18

  13. Bechlars, B; D'Alessandro, DM; Jenkins, DM; Iavarone, AT; Glover, SD; Kubiak, CP and Long, J R. High-spin ground states via electron delocalization in mixed-valence imidazolate-bridged divanadium complexes. Nature Chem., 2, 362-368, 2010. DOI:
    10.1038/nchem.585

  14. D'Alessandro, DM; Smit and Long, JR. Carbon dioxide capture: Prospects for new materials. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 49 (35), 6058-6082, 2010. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201000431.

  15. Demessence, A; D'Alessandro, DM; Foo ML and Long, JR. Strong CO2 binding in a water-stable, triazolate-bridged metal-organic framework functionalised with ethylenediamine. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 131, (25), 8784-8786, 2009. DOI: 10.1021/ja903411w

  16. Behera, JN; D'Alessandro, DM; Soheilnia, N and Long, JR. Synthesis and characterisation of ruthenium and iron-ruthenium Prussian Blue analogues. Mater. Chem. 21(9), 1922-1926, 2009. DOI: 10.1021/cm900230p