Huan Doan

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Research Fellow at Australian National University

Sustainable agriculture will play a key role in ensuring food security for the rising global population. Controlled and precision delivery of agrochemicals, such as herbicides and pesticides, plays a critical role in sustainable agriculture. Recently, porous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown promising results for controlled agrochemical de...

Halogen‐bonding (XB) interactions have been extensively studied in the preparation of crystalline frameworks, yet porous 3D framework materials built on XBs remain elusive. The donor‐acceptor interactions are strengthened by use of anionic XB acceptors; however, the requisite charge‐balancing cations typically disrupt the framework and occupy poten...

Halogen‐bonding (XB) interactions have been extensively studied in the preparation of crystalline frameworks, yet porous 3D framework materials built on XBs remain elusive. The donor‐acceptor interactions are strengthened by use of anionic XB acceptors; however, the requisite charge‐balancing cations typically disrupt the framework and occupy poten...

Sulfur compounds in fuel such as thiophene, benzothiophene and dibenzothiophene are the primary source of SOx emissions, leading to environmental pollution and acid rain. In this study, we synthesized a layered oxygen-doped graphitic carbon nitride (OCN) structure and integrated ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles onto the OCN surface through a microwave-as...

Due to their distinct and tailorable internal cavity structures, zeolites serve as promising materials for efficient and specific gas separations such as the separation of /CO2 from N2. A subset of zeolite materials exhibits trapdoor behavior which can be exploited for particularly challenging separations, such as the separation of hydrogen, deuter...

Increasing active sites in catalysts is of utmost importance for catalytic processes. In this regime, single‐atom dispersing on graphitic carbon nitrides (g‐C3N4) to produce fine chemicals, such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), is of current interest due to not only enhancing catalytic performance but also reducing the loading of necessary metals. Here...

This study delves into the advanced integration of a ternary heterogeneous Z-scheme photocatalyst, TiO2/CuInS2/OCN (OCN: O-g-C3N4), with carbon quantum dot (CQD) to improve the degradation efficiency of reactive yellow 145 (RY145) dye in water. Through a systematic examination, we elucidated the photocatalytic mechanisms and the role of radicals, e...

This study demonstrates the sustainable synthesis of multifunctional CIS@MIL-101(Cr) composites for water treatment applications. The composites were prepared via hybridization of CuInS2 with MIL-101(Cr) resulting in the formation of CIS nanoplates incorporated into MIL-101(Cr). The composites exhibited enhanced visible light photocatalytic activit...

Al-doped TiO2 nanoparticles with different Al contents were prepared by a simple sol–gel method and were applied as UV filters for sunscreen products. These materials were characterized by XRD, Raman, FESEM, N2 adsorption-desorption, WDXRF, FTIR, and UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Their color and photocatalytic activity were evaluated...

This study reports on the synthesis and characterization of ZnO-Ag@AgBr/SBA-15 composites using natural halloysite clay from Yenbai Province, Vietnam, as a silica aluminum source. The synthesized materials demonstrated visible light absorption with a band gap energy range of 2.63-2.98 eV. The dual Z-scheme ZnO-Ag@AgBr/SBA-15 heterojunction exhibite...

This study demonstrates the sustainable synthesis of multifunctional CIS@MIL-101(Cr) composites for water treatment applications. The composites were prepared via hybridization of CuInS2 with MIL-101(Cr) resulting in the formation of CIS nanoplates incorporated into MIL-101(Cr). The composites exhibited high visible light photocatalytic activity du...

Encapsulating sulfur in single-walled carbon nanotubes (S@SWCNTs) produces a composite material hitherto unexplored for hydrogen storage. Interactions between sulfur and carbon nanotubes modify the electronic properties of the composite, thus offering methods for improving hydrogen sorption in carbon nanotubes. Here we demonstrate that S@SWCNT comp...

Encapsulating sulfur in single-walled carbon nanotubes (S@SWCNTs) produces a composite material hitherto unexplored for hydrogen storage. Interactions between sulfur and carbon nanotubes modify the electronic properties of the composite, thus offering methods for improving hydrogen sorption in carbon nanotubes. Here we demonstrate that S@SWCNT comp...

In this study, a facile and cost effective green synthesis has been utilized for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs)–modified graphitic carbon nitride (Ag-g-C3N4) and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) using Centella Asiatica (L.) extract, urea and mineral source of natural halloysite (HNTs), respectively. Here, silver ions (Ag⁺) were reduced t...

Background Reactive Yellow 145 (RY-145), a common organic dye-containing azo chromophore found in wastewater from the textile and printing industries, can cause serious environmental pollution and pose a huge threat to human beings and various natural organisms. Methods We herein introduce for the first time a nanocomposite based on a bimetallic C...

Nanostructured high-temperature superconductors YBa2Cu3O6+δ and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ were synthesised using a melamine formaldehyde sponge as a sacrificial template, via three solution-based approaches. In the case of YBa2Cu3O6+δ , a modified Pechini method produced a material with a superconducting transition at 92 K and a specific surface area of 4.22...

Integration between conventional semiconductors and porous materials can enhance electron-hole separation, improving photocatalytic activity. Here, we introduce a heterostructure that was successfully constructed between vanadium pentoxide (V 2 O 5) and mesoporous SBA-15 using inexpensive halloysite clay as the silica-aluminium source. The composit...

General Discussion on Emerging technologies at the Faraday Discussion on Carbon dioxide utilisation

Introducing heterostructures to graphitic carbon nitrides (g-C3N4) can improve the activity of visible-light-driven catalysts for the efficient treatment of multiple toxic pollutants in water. Here, we report for the first time that a complex material can be constructed from oxygen-doped g-C3N4 and a MIL-53(Fe) metal-organic framework using facile...

p>Introducing heterostructure to graphitic carbon nitrides (g-C₃N₄) can improve the activity of visible-light-driven catalysts for efficient treatment of multiple toxic pollutants in water. Here we report for the first time that a complex material can be constructed from an oxygen-doped g-C₃N₄ and MIL-53(...

Introducing additional meso- or macroporosity into traditionally microporous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is a very promising way to improve the catalytic performance of these materials, mostly due to the resultant reductions of diffusional barriers during reactions. Here we show that HKUST-1 can be successfully synthesised via in situ crystalli...

Chabazite (CHA), one of the most common zeolite framework types, has a remarkable capacity to accommodate a wide range of different cations within the unique CHA framework. This has led to CHA being applied extensively in ion exchange, and studied for highly selective gas sorption, most notably through a trapdoor mechanism. Here, we report the syst...

Here we report a new ceasium Brønsted ion-exchanged Al-SBA-15 (Cs/AS15) supported heteropoly acid (HPA) H3PW12O40 (HPA-Cs/AS15) material which can be prepared and used as heterogeneous catalyst for the fructone fragrancy synthesis. It was demonstrated that Cs⁺ was more effective than NH4⁺ as counter cation of ion-exchanged AS15 support for preparin...

Introducing hierarchical pore structure to microporous materials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be beneficial for reactions where the rate of reaction is limited by low rates of diffusion or high pressure drop. This advantageous pore structure can be obtained by defect formation, mostly via post-synthetic acid etching, which has been s...

A novel oxygen-doped graphitic carbon nitride and zeolite (H-ZSM-5) composite (O-g-C3N4/H-ZSM-5) was synthesized using hydrogen peroxide and urea as the oxygen and g-C3N4 precursors, respectively, and per-lite as the zeolite source, via calcination at 550°C. BET N2 adsorption-desorption analysis verified that the 40%O-g-C3N4/H-ZSM-5 composite had a...

Zinc( ii ) and zirconium( iv ) MOFs show uptake and slow release of the ant alarm pheromones 3-octanone and 4-methyl-3-heptanone.

Here we show that bimetallic Ti-Al-SBA-15 materials were synthesized successfully from titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) and natural halloysite clay via the direct hydrothermal method. The results revealed that the incorporation of titanium species in the Al-SBA-15 framework retained the characteristic peaks and possessed an increased Brunauer-Emme...

In recent decades, highly efficient deep desulfurization processes have become very necessary to decrease environmental pollution due to sulfur emissions from fuels. Herein, an enhanced photocatalytic desulfurization of a model fuel was investigated under sunlight irradiation using H2O2 as the oxidant and [email protected] loaded mesoporous silica...

In recent years, polysulfone-based nanocomposite membranes have been widely used for contaminated water treatment because they comprise properties such as high thermal stability and chemical resistance. In this study, a polysulfone (PSf) nanocomposite membrane was fabricated using the wet-phase inversion method with the fusion of graphene oxide (GO...

This article introduces research on the synthesis and characteristics of C–TiO2 doped cellulose acetate (CA) nanocomposite film. TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized from Ilmenite mineral in Binh Dinh, Vietnam, and modified by Stevia Rebaudiana plant in order to serve as a cheap, stable, and eco-friendly photocatalyst that could perform under visibl...

In this report, we explore the use of supercritical CO2 (scCO2) in the synthesis of well-known metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) including Zn-MOF-74 and UiO-66, as well as on the preparation of [Cu24(OH-mBDC)24]n metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) and two new MOF structures {[Zn2(L1)(DPE)]∙4H2O}n and {[Zn3(L1)3(4,4’-azopy)]∙7.5H2O}n, where BTC = benzene-...

In this article, a significant aspect of Brønsted groups in the preparation of HPA/Al-SBA-15 catalyst by immobilising heteropoly acid H3PW12O40 (HPA) to mesoporous Al-SBA-15 support was studied. The crucial factors affected the preparation such as functional groups formed on the support, the use of HPA type for the immobilisation (commercial cataly...

p>Introducing additional meso- or macroporosity into traditionally microporous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is a very promising way to improve the catalytic performance of these materials, mostly due to the resultant reductions of diffusional barriers during liquid-phase or gas-phase reactions. Here we show that HKUST-1 can be successfully synth...

Introducing hierarchical pore structure to microporous materials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be beneficial for reactions where the rate of reaction is limited by low rates of diffusion or high pressure drop. This advantageous pore structure can be obtained by defect formation, mostly via post-synthetic acid etching, which has been s...

Introduction of multiple pore size regimes into metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) to form hierarchical porous structures can lead to improved performance of the material in various applications. In many cases, where interactions with bulky molecules are involved, enlarging the pore size of typically microporous MOF adsorbents or MOF catalysts is cruc...

Introducing hierarchical pore structure to microporous materials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be beneficial for reactions where the rate of reaction is limited by low rates of diffusion or high pressure drop. This advantageous pore structure can be obtained by defect formation, mostly via post-synthetic acid etching, which has been s...

In this study, the stability and the catalytic activity of an ordered mesoporous SBA-15 immobilized 12-tungstophosphoric acid (H3PW12O40, HPW) in the oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of benzothiophene (BT) and dibenzothiophene (DBT) were improved by a post-synthesis-grafting method. In this method, SBA-15 was functionalized to provide a large number...

My work involves design and characterisation of new HKUST-1 crystallites with tailored pore characteristics by using supercritical CO2. By using a diverse range of modern in-situ and ex-situ techniques, I found that using CO2 as pressure-tunable agent during the synthesis not only helps to induce MOF crystallisation from the resulting expanded liqu...

A series of Ag-AgBr/Al-MCM-41 nanocomposites were synthesized by dispersion of Ag-AgBr on mesoporous silica Al-MCM-41 obtained from natural bentonite. The synthesized Ag-AgBr/Al-MCM-41 composites with Ag nanoparticles growing on the surface of Al-MCM-41 were used for photocatalytic oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene. The physical propert...

Synthetic K⁺ chabazite (KCHA), Cs⁺ chabazite (CsCHA) and Zn²⁺ chabazite (ZnCHA) have been synthesized and investigated in order to relate the differences in their crystalline structures to their thermal stability, moisture content and frequency dependent alternating current (AC) conductivity, permittivity and phase angle at a range of temperatures....

Synthetic K+ chabazite (KCHA), Cs+ chabazite (CsCHA) and Zn2+ chabazite (ZnCHA) were synthesized and compared in order to relate the differences in their crystalline structures to their thermal stability (TGA data), moisture content (TGA data) and frequency dependent alternating current (AC) conductivity (AC conductivity heating and cooling data),...

Keggin-type 12-tungstophosphoric [PW12O40]³⁻ heteropolyanions were successfully immobilized onto mesoporous material surface of SBA-15 functionalized using the (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) synthesized by one-pot co-condensation method, also called one-step synthesis. The synthesized PW⁻-NH3⁺-SBA-15 catalyst was characterized by XRD, N2 ad...

It is shown that a crystalline metal-organic framework (HKUST-1) can be rapidly synthesized from DMSO/MeOH solution with greatly reduced amounts of organic solvents using a supercritical CO2 (scCO2) solvent expansion technique. The precursor solution is stable for months under ambient condi-tions, and CO2-driven MOF crystallization is achieved unde...

I have been shortlisted among 24 postgraduate researchers to present my research in the 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) semi-final competition at the University of Bristol. My talk titled From tuning tiny holes to making a big impact on the world aims to explain why and how holes in nanomaterials can save the world.

In this study, a porous material HKUST-1 was synthesised using supercritical CO2 (scCO2) with reduced amounts of conventional solvents. Our results show that with the presence of scCO2, HKUST-1 crystallites with hierarchical pore structure are formed. This material, with a mixture of large and small pore sizes, has potential applications in energy...

In this study, a porous material HKUST-1 was synthesised using supercritical CO2 (scCO2) with reduced amounts of conventional solvents. This can help to reduce the environmental impact from solvent waste in conventional synthesis of porous materials. Resulting data show that with the presence of scCO2, HKUST-1 crystallites with hierarchical pore st...