Friday, 25 July 2025 11:00am – 12:00pm

This seminar will be delivered in Chemistry Lecture Theatre 4

Speaker: Dr Witold Bloch

Host: Dr Vien Huynh

Title: From Supramolecular Cages to porous Materials: Capturing Pollutants and Beyond

Abstract
Metal–organic cages (MOCs) are discrete, nano-sized molecules held together by metal ions and bridging ligands. Their rich host–guest chemistry has been widely exploited over the past several decades owing to their well-defined internal cavities that can selectively accommodate, stabilise, or even transform molecular guests. These features have enabled MOCs to be applied in molecular sensing, separation, drug delivery, and catalysis.¹ However, many reported examples remain confined to proof-of-concept studies in solution, limiting their functionality and hindering broader application in real-world settings.

Our group is interested in using MOCs as building-blocks for the synthesis of novel materials that retain their inherent and selective host-guest chemistry. In contrast to traditional metal-organic framework synthesis, this approach allows for defined supramolecular assemblies, which can be studied in solution, to be implemented into a materials platform.  Our focus spans synthesising functional MOCs and extended porous solids with switchable porosity, multi-functional structures and anion-selective binding.^2-4 We are deploying these materials in various fields, including catalysis and environmental remediation. In this talk, I will present our latest results, including recent results on how MOCs and their composites can capture toxic perfluoroalkyl substances.

References

1. B. S. Pilgrim and N. R. Champness, Chempluschem, 2020, 85, 1842–1856; D. Zhang, T. K. Ronson, Y.-Q. Zou and J. R. Nitschke, Nat. Rev. Chem., 2021, 5, 168–182.
2. J. I. Virtue, S. Tsoukatos, M. R. Johnston and W. M. Bloch, Chem. Sci., 2024, 15, 19119–19125.
3. W. M. Bloch, R. Babarao and M. L. Schneider, Chem. Sci., 2020, 11, 3664–3671.
4. A. W. Markwell-Heys, M. Roemelt, A. D. Slattery, O. M. Linder-Patton and W. M. Bloch, Chem. Sci., 2022, 13, 68–73.

Bio
Wit obtained his PhD from the University of Adelaide (UoA) in 2014, where he focused on the synthesis of flexible metal-organic frameworks. In 2015, he was awarded a 24-month Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship which he undertook in the laboratory of Guido Clever at the University of Göttingen and TU Dortmund, Germany. During his fellowship, Wit contributed to developing assembly strategies for heteroleptic coordination cages. In 2017, Wit returned to UoA on a Ramsay Fellowship, which and began his independent career. In 2019, he was awarded an ARC DECRA to develop synthetic approaches to multi-functional supramolecular materials. In 2022, Wit joined Flinders University as a Lecturer in Chemistry, and in 2024, he was awarded an ARC Future Fellowship. In his current research, Wi focuses on utilising the host-guest chemistry of coordination cages for a range of application including the design of novel adsorbents for capturing toxic pollutants in water.