Drs. Jan-Willem Bos, Ai-Lan Lee and Gareth Lloyd from the Institute of Chemical Sciences in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences are each individually featured in the recent Chemical Communications "Emerging Investigators 2013" special issue. The flagship journal, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, runs its annual Emerging Investigators issue to highlight the work of young up-and-coming researchers from around the world. The Institute of Chemical Sciences is particularly proud to have three investigators selected for this year's prestigious program.
Summaries of the three research papers are given below:
Jan-Willem Bos' paper describes enhanced thermoelectric performances of TiNiSn-based half-Heuslers. This solid state method looks to convert heat into electricity (or vice versa) and should be considered an energy saving technology where waste heat from, for example industrial processes, is converted into electricity.
Ai-Lan Lee's paper describes gold(I)-catalysed direct allylic etherification of unactivated alcohols. The reaction is mild, practical and with greater substrate scope than previous methods. It is also significantly "greener", releasing benign water as the only by-product.
Gareth Lloyd's paper describes a family of gelators based on the supramolecular motif of benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide (BTA). This family of compounds form a series of tuneable supramolecular hydrogels. The gelation is pH triggered and the dynamic gel materials show good promise for drug delivery and tissue engineering applications.