Research

Modern analytical techniques are being used to assess the environmental impact of anthropogenic activities on urban, terrestrial and aquatic environments.

Research includes development of environmental sampling techniques, such as passive samplers, and studies into the fate and provenance of contaminants in the environment.

Methods to clean up industrial and agricultural effluents are also under development.

We are involved in a number of teaching development research projects at the discipline, institute and national levels.  At the institute and national levels we are researching the impact of embedding learning academic standards (expressed as learning outcomes) in discipline majors, across degree programs, and across an institution.

At the school-level, our research is focused on investigating the viability of new assessment practices in the undergraduate laboratory curriculum and better integrating inquiry- and problem-based learning and more authentic research experiences into our undergraduate laboratory program at higher levels.  

At the discipline level, our research is focused on inquiry-based learning in laboratory classes.

Research in materials chemistry includes the synthesis, design and application of polymers, nanoparticles, composites, ceramics and various other materials for a wide variety of applications.

Specific applications and areas of focus include: additive manufacturing (“3D printing”) for device miniaturization, nanoparticle synthesis and self-assembly, porous materials including monoliths for separation science, in addition to non-traditional synthetic methods of composite materials including polymeric gels and nanomaterials.

Research in this stream involves numerous active collaborations with other universities in Australia and internationally, in addition to several industrial and commercial partners.

Research covers all areas of organic chemistry including synthetic organic, mechanistic and analytical organic chemistry.

In particular, the development of new metal-catalyzed reactions and associated mechanistic studies, new reaction development with applications to target-oriented and total synthesis, supramolecular, polymer, natural products isolation, heterocyclic and medicinal chemistry.

This includes a number of active collaborations with local and Australian industry and other Universities within Australian and abroad.

Research in organometallic and inorganic chemistry includes;

• standard air-stable and air-sensitive organometallic synthesis,
• synthesis of photoactive metal complexes,
• structural characterisation,
• fundamental mechanistic and reactivity studies and
• investigations of a wide array of metal complexes and their applications to catalysis.

Areas of focus include: development of efficient metal-based catalysts for industrial processes as well as exploring the fundamental intermediates and mechanistic pathways present in various catalytic reactions.

This includes a number of active collaborations with and other Universities within Australian and abroad

The pulp and paper research group investigates fundamental aspects of the chemistry of pulping and papermaking and environmental issues associated with the papermaking process.

Areas of research interest include;

• pulping of mechanical pulp,
• bleaching of mechanical pulp,
• relationship between wood and mechanical pulp properties,
• environmental issues associated with bleaching and pulping,
• retention aids, deinking and recycling of newsprint,
• factors affecting pitch deposition, and
• improving effluent treatment

Separation science research encompasses most areas, including high performance liquid chromatography, ion chromatography, gas chromatography, counter-current chromatography, capillary zone electrophoresis, and capillary electrochromatography.

Studies include the theory and modelling of retention and migration processes, control of separation selectivity, design of new stationary phases (especially polymer monoliths), development of new detection methods, sample handling methods, and computer optimization methods and software.

Considerable effort is also devoted to specific applications of separation science, especially in the fields of pharmaceuticals, forensic science and counter-terrorism, bioanalysis, mining and minerals, and environmental analysis.

The Australian Centre for Research of Separation Science (ACROSS) is a consortium of Australian researchers working at the University of Tasmania, RMIT University and the University of Western Sydney.

We use computational chemistry in the understanding of reaction mechanisms, fundamental structures, the molecular modelling of biologically active compounds (computer-aided drug design), and the design of substrates in separation science.

We are particularly focused on applications in organometallic chemistry.

Techniques used include ab initio and density functional theories for sophisticated calculations and simpler molecular mechanics models.

Strong collaboration exists with the experimental research in the School and overseas