Dr Sebastian Pike MRSC
Winner: 2023 Dalton early career Prize: Sir Edward Frankland Prize
University of Warwick
For studies on the synthesis and photochemistry of metal-oxo cluster molecules and for their use as precursors to functional materials.
Celebrate Dr Sebastian Pike
I sometimes wonder if the novel molecules we make have ever been made before on this planet or elsewhere, whether by accident or design.
Metal oxide materials are used in a multitude of modern applications, from sun creams and paints, to state-of-the-art self-cleaning windows and antibacterial surfaces for next-generation medical devices. Many of these applications stem from the ability of metal oxides to absorb light and use this energy to direct chemical reactions.
Dr Pike’s research investigates molecular versions of metal oxide materials and studies how their properties may be optimised by carefully tuning their size, composition, and surface chemistry. These molecules act as tiny reactive centres that absorb light and can catalyse reactions. Their precise, atomically defined structures, makes them easier to study and understand than larger metal oxide materials that have a more complicated surface. The ability to precisely tune properties (for instance, to absorb the maximum amount of visible light whilst still driving the required chemical transformation), will be essential for the design of next-generation materials that can efficiently use solar energy to produce fuels and useful chemicals.
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