Wednesday, 14 May 2025 12:00pm – 1:00pm

This seminar will be delivered in Chemistry Lecture Theatre 4

Speaker: Professor Luke Henderson

Host: Dr Casssandra Fleming

Title: Medicinal Beginnings to Material Breakthroughs: A Chemist’s Evolving Path

Abstract
This talk will have two parts, the first will be an overview of my journey from a PhD in organic chemical synthesis (total synthesis/med chem), postdocs in catalysis and medicinal chemistry through to my, now established, research focus in surface and interface chemistry in carbon fibre and composites.

The second, and likely/hopefully more interesting, part will give an overview of my group’s efforts in the design and tailoring of hard-soft interfaces for composite materials. Composite structures are, by definition, composed of at least two dissimilar materials. Examples from nature include bone, wood, nacre and modern composite materials such as steel reinforced concrete, glass and/or carbon fibre reinforced polymers. The goal of a composite material is to maximise the desirable traits of each constituent material while suppressing their inferior properties. To this end, the interface between the dissimilar materials is of critical importance to the overall performance of the composite structure. For example, in Carbon Fibre (CF) composites, the surface chemistry of the fibres dictates the ability to transfer load from the weak matrix to the strong fibre. An ‘incompatible’ interface will lead to debonding and catastrophic failure.

I’ll provide an overview of our efforts in the manipulation of carbon fibre surface chemistry to improve their functionality and performance. Carbon fibres are widely used in a variety of industries due to their exceptional mechanical properties, such as high strength and stiffness, but their surface chemistry can also play a crucial role in determining their behaviour in specific applications. By modifying the surface chemistry of carbon fibres, we can enhance their wettability, adhesion, and compatibility with other materials, leading to improved performance in composite materials, sensors, and energy storage devices.

Bio
Luke obtained his PhD from Griffith University in 2007 under the supervision of Prof. Wendy Loughlin and Prof. Ian Jenkins, in which he focussed on the Total Synthesis of Hyphodermins A-D. He then spent 1 year as a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Prof. Michael Willis at the University of Oxford before returning to Australia as an Alfred Deakin Research Fellow, working with A/Prof Fred Pfeffer on the development of conformationally preorganised norbornanes as novel antibiotics. In 2012, Luke commenced his independent academic career at the Institute for Frontier Materials focussing on the modification and manipulation of surface chemistries, primarily of carbon fibre, for application in advances composite materials, and was appointed Professor in 2019. Luke has published approx. 180 papers and secured >$10M in competitive funding, including an ARC Mid-Career Industry Fellowship in 2023, and was a founding member of the Australian Composites Manufacturing CRC.