MOFs are new and exciting class of materials which consists of extended networks of inorganic metal oxide building blocks connected with the organic linkers. MOFs offer variety of applications, in particular we are interested in exploring spin exchange interactions between magnetic centers whilst maintaining rigidity and porosity of MOFs. Due to the fact that MOFs have huge surface areas, we are also investigating the gas storage, separation and catalytic applications for selected materials.
Richard A. Mole, Muhammad A. Nadeem, John A. Stride, Vanessa K. Peterson and Paul T. Wood, Inorg. Chem. 2013, 52, 13462−13468
Polyoxometalates (POMs):
A POM is usually an anion, that consists of three or more transition metal oxyanions linked together by shared oxygen atoms to form closed 3-dimensional frameworks. Due to the fact that these are huge reservoirs of electrons, we are interested in exploring magnetic and catalytic applications by the incorporation of first row transition elements into polyoxotungstates.
Carbon Materials for Energy Applications:
As the MOFs are rich in carbon contents and metal oxide units. We are exploring on controlled carbonization of MOFs to produce porous carbon and its composite materials. Such materials have applications in the field of super-capacitors, fuel cells and lithium ion batteries.
Inayat Ali Khan, Yuhong Qian , Amin Badshah, Dan Zhao and Muhammad Arif Nadeem* Fabrication of Highly Stable and Efficient PtCu Alloy Nanoparticles on Highly Porous Carbon for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2016, 8(32), 20793–20801
Photo and Photoelectrochemical production of Hydrogen:
Obtaining hydrogen, a powerful fuel, from cheap sources like water using sunlight is a dream. We are tuning the properties of conventional active photocatalytic semiconductor (Titania), by depositing nano-particles of cheap transition metals over it. The group has an established photocatalysis lab.
I. Majeed, M. Amtiaz Nadeem, M. Al-Oufi, M. Arif Nadeem, G.I.N. Waterhouse, A. Badshah, J.B. Metson, H. Idriss, On the role of metal particle size and surface coverage forphoto-catalytic hydrogen production: A case study of the Au/CdSsystem, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental 182 (2016) 266–276