Professor M.L.H. Green

Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory

Email Address: malcolm.green@chem.ox.ac.uk

Telephone: 44 (0) 1865 275917

Research Group Web Pages

The general field of research is the synthesis, chemistry and physics of carbon nanorubes and heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis

1. Transition Metals in Catalysis:

Heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis
In a well-equipped laboratory including facilities for gas chromatography, mass spectrometry and analytical electron microscopy, we prepare new catalyst and study new catalytic reactions. In particular, we are interested in the conversion of methane to other useful organic chemicals. We are particularly interested in alkane metathesis and we expect to initiate a research program I this area in the near future. The work entails the synthesis of new highly reactive electron-rich transition metal compounds as catalysts precursors.

We are interested both in real catalysts and model systems. Our objectives are to understand the intimate mechanism of important catalytic reactions such as asymmetric synthesis, Ziegler-Natta catalysis and Fischer-Tropsch catalysis, and also to try to discover and understand new catalytic processes.

2. Studies in Carbon Nanotubes

In the recent past we have discovered how to open the ends of the fascinating nanotubules known as "buckytubes" and we found that these tubes can be filled with many materials including proteins, metals, metal oxides, semiconductors, and organic and inorganic molecules. More recently we have extended this work to the filling of single walled nanotubes. The filled systems have clear potential for fundamental study of the relationship between structure and physical properties but also for applications in electronics, in medical, and engineering science.

3. Techniques and Methodology:

The above programmes will provide wide experience in synthesis, coupled with the advanced level use of physical methods such as transmission electron microscope, STM, AFM, EELS, ESCA, Raman spectroscopy, solid state NMR, and the techniques and the art of heterogeneous.

4. Collaborations

In order to cover the breadth of techniques required for the characterisation of filled single wall carbon nanotubes it has been sensible to enter into collaborations with several other research groups. In Oxford there are close collaborations with Dr Jeremy Sloan (Royal Society Research Fellow), Dr David Watkin (X-ray Diffraction Specialist) and Dr Angus Kirkland (Leverhulme Research Fellow). The present number of research personnel in the combined Groups is sixteen including 6 post-doctoral assistants, 7 graduates and 3 Part II students. This group has just been awarded a four year £1 million grant by the EPSRC to develop methods for the characterisation of filled single wall carbon nanotubes.
We collaborate with six other EU Universities in a Research training §network which will be active for a further two years.
Also, we have an active and on-going collaboration with the research groups of Professor Nark Welland at Cambridge. Professor Welland;s group I expert in the techniques and science of nanomaterials.

Selected recent publications

1. REVIEW: Integral Atomic Layer Architectures of 1D Crysals Inserted into Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes.
   Chem. Commun., 2002, pp 1319-1332.
   J. Sloan, A.I. Kirkland, J.L. Hutchison and M.L.H. Green
   
2. Simple Chemical Method of Opening and Filling Carbon Nanotubes.
   Nature, 1994, 372, pp. 159-162.
   S.C. Tsang, Y.K. Chen, P.J.F. Harris and M.L.H. Green
   
3. The Opening and Filling of single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWTs).
   J.Chem.Soc., Chem. Commun., 1998, pp.347-348.
   J. Sloan, J. Hammer, M. Zwiefka-Sibley and M.L.H. Green.
   
4. Discrete Atom Imaging of One-Dimensional Crystals Formed
   Within Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes.
   Science, 2000, 289, pp 1324-1326.
   R.R. Meyer, J. Sloan, R.E. Dunin-Borkowski, A.I. Kirkland, M.C. Novotny, S.R. Bailey, J.L. Hutchison and M.L.H. Green.
   
5. Simultaneous Determination of Inclusion Crystallography and Nanotube
   Conformation for a Sb2O3/single-walled Nanotube Composite.
   Physical Review B, 2001, 64, pp 045406-1-045406-8
   S. Friedrichs, J. Sloan, M.L.H. Green, J.L. Hutchison, R.R. Meyer and A.I. Kirkland.
   
6. A One-dimensional BaI2 Chain with Five- and Six-Coordination,
   Formed within a Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube.
   Angew.Chem., 2002, 114, pp 1204-1207.
   J. Sloan, S.J. Grosvenor, S. Friedrichs, A.I. Kirkland, J.L. Hutchison and
   M.L.H. Green.
   
7. Direct Imaging of o-carborane Molecules within Single Walled Carbon
   Nanotubes.
   J.C.S.,Chem.Commun., 2002, pp 2442-2443.
   D.A. Morgan, J. Sloan and M.L.H. Green.
   
8. Study of the Preparation and Catalytic Performance of Molybdenum Carbide Catalysts Prepared with C2H2/H2 Carburizing Mixture.
   Journal of Catalysis, 2002, 211, pp 183-191.
   T. Xiao, H. Wang, J. Da, K.S. Coleman, and M.L.H. Green
   
9. Structural Characterization of Atomically Regulated Nanocrystals Formed within Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Using Electron Microscopy.
   Acc. Chem. Res., 2002, 35, pp 1054-1062.
   J. Sloan, A.I. Kirkland, J.L. Hutchison, and M.L.H. Green.
   
10. Functionalization of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes via the
    Bingel Reaction.
    J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2003, 125, pp 8722-8723.
    K.S. Coleman, S.R. Bailey, S. Fogden, and M.L.H. Green.
    
11. Chemical and Biochemical Sensing with Modified Single Walled Carbon
    Nanotubes.
    Chem. Eur. J., 2003, 9, pp 3732-3739.
    J.J. Davis, K.S.Coleman, B.R. Azamian, C.B.Bagshaw and M.L.H.Green
    
12. A composite method for the determination of the chirality of single
    walled carbon nanotubes
    ./. Microscopy, 2003, 212 pp 152-157.
    R.R. Meyer, S.Friedrichs, A.I. Kirkland, J.Slosan, J.L.Hutchison and
    M.L.H.Green.
    
13. An encapsulated helical one-dimensional cobalt iodide nanostructure
    Nature Materials, 2003, 12, 788 –891.
    E. Philp. J.Sloan, A.I. Kirkland, R.R. Meyer, S.Friedrichs, J.Hutchison and
    M.L.H.Green
    
14. New Catalysts for the Conversion of Methane to Synthesis Gas:
    Molybdenum and Tungsten Carbide.
    J. Catalysis., 1998, 180, pp. 85-100.
    J.B. Claridge, A.P.E. York, A.J. Brungs, C.M.Alvarez, J. Sloan,
    S.C. Tsang and M.L.H. Green
    
15. Study on the Structure and Formation Mechanism of Molybdenum Carbides.
    Chem. Mater. 2002, 14, pp 1009-1015.
    A. Hanif, T. Xiao, A.P.E. York, J. Sloan, and M.L.H. Green.
    
16. Brief Overview of the Partial Oxidation of Methane to Synthesis Gas.
    Topics in Catalysis, 2003, 22, pp 345-358.
    A.P.E. York, T. Xiao, and M.L.H. Green.
    
17. Study on the Mechanism of Partial Oxidation of Methane to Synthesis Gas over Molybdenum Carbide Catalyst.
    Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2002, 4, pp 4549-4554.
    T. Xiao, A. Hanif, A.P.E. York, Y. Nishizaka, and M.L.H. Green.