Professorial Fellow

CONTACT DETAILS:

Address: School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, 3010 Australia

Room: 508

Email: r.robson@unimelb.edu.au

Research areas of interest
Crystal Engineering of Novel Materials Composed of Infinite 2D and 3D Frameworks

This project involves the design, synthesis and crystallographic study of a new class of infinite molecular lattices constructed from rod-like or plate-like building blocks linked together in a variety of ways to generate 2D and 3D framework structures. In some cases these generate channels and cavities of large dimensions;[1] in other cases independent infinite frameworks interpenetrate each other in various ways [2] and in yet other cases exceptionally large but completely sealed-off chambers are formed [3].

An unprecedented mode of interpenetration discovered was of the polyrotaxane type. [4] We have been focussing recently upon putting the potent chelate effect to use in connecting ligands that bind three or more metal centres, each at a chelate site. The ligand in the figure below binds three metal centres at “phenanthroline-like” chelating sites to generate a microporous infinite 3D network with the highly symmetrical (10,3)-a topoly. [5] These crystals retain their single crystal character after undergoing exchange of solvent in the micropores - testament to the effectiveness of the chelating tactic for reinforcing networks.

Selected Publications:

1. Abrahams BF, Hoskins BF, Michail DM, Robson R, Nature, 1994, 369, 727.
2. Abrahams BF, Batten SR, Hamit H, Hoskins BF, Robson R, Chem. Commun., 1996, 1313.
3. Batten SR, Hoskins BF, Robson R, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1995, 117, 5385.
4. Hoskins BF, Robson R, Slizys DA, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1997, 119, 2952.
5. Abrahams, B. F., Jackson, P. A., Robson, R. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engli. 1998, 37, 2656