Developing metal-free borane catalysts for renewable hydrogen production (WILDGOOSEU15LEV)

In the last decade since the introduction of “frustrated Lewis pair” chemistry, interest in the ability of Lewis acidic boranes to catalyse a range of reactions involving hydrogen has grown apace.[1] In the past 5 years my group has explored and developed the chemistry and electrochemistry of Lewis acidic borane catalysts for hydrogen activation.[2-4] Armed with our world-leading insights, and inspired by the recent work of Feng et al.[5] we propose to synthesise and study a special class of functionalised Lewis acidic boranes as the first molecular, metal-free, electrocatalysts for hydrogen production. These molecules proffer an inexpensive alternative electrocatalyst to platinum for the production of hydrogen as a clean, renewable energy vector, and provide the successful applicant with a potentially ground-breaking, multidisciplinary, and high impact project with real-world applications.

This PhD project is suitable for applicants with a primary interest in inorganic/organic synthetic chemistry and catalysis, and will involve training in the use of air-sensitive (schlenk/glovebox) synthetic techniques as well as a wide range of spectroscopic, spectrometric, and crystallographic characterisation methods. It also provides a rare opportunity for the successful applicant to augment their synthetic chemistry skills with training in electrochemical techniques – a rare and highly valued combination of skill sets. No prior electrochemical experience is required, only an interest in learning more about this area of chemical science.