Associate Professor Owen Curnow

Associate Investigator

Towards Zero Carbon - Catalytic Architectures

Phone:

+64 3 369 4239

Address:
School of Physical and Chemical Sciences
University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch 8140

• 
• Owen.Curnow@canterbury.ac.nz

Biography

Owen began his research career with an MSc at the University of Waikato on Sn-Co clusters with Professor Brian Nicholson. He then went to the University of Michigan where he studied Mo-Co-S clusters as models for hydrodesulfurization (HDS) with Professor David Curtis. Owen then did postdoctoral research at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire (Professor Russell Hughes) working with perfluorinated ligands, and the University of Heidelberg (Professor Gottfried Huttner) where he developed tethered cyclopentadienyl-phosphine ligands. He joined the University of Canterbury in 1993.

Research interests

Owen’s research interests have evolved from synthetic organometallic chemistry to the synthesis and applications of ionic liquids, particularly with a focus on novel triaminocyclopropenium cations. These cations, with up to six alkyl groups and weak cation-anion interactions, are ideal for providing a template for the isolation of novel anionic species such as chloride hydrates and polyhalides, but they are also useful for a diverse variety of ionic liquid-based applications such as lubricants, cellulose processing, electrode modifications, and gas storage.