The Disputation will be live streamed for everyone else.
The livestream will be activated 15 minutes before the Defense starts.
Trial lecture
May 2nd, 10:15 AM, Auditorium 3, Chemistry building
Trial lecture title: "Metal-Organic Frameworks: Definition, Key examples/systems, Applications, Problems/Challenges…"
Kreeringssammendrag/Conferral summary
Denne avhandlingen omhandler beregningskjemiske studier av reaksjonsmekanismene til biomimetiske kobberkatalysatorer. Arbeidet belyser hvordan metallkoordinasjon, løsningsmiddeleffekter og oksidantvalg påvirker katalytisk aktivitet og selektivitet i oksidasjon av hydrokarboner. Funnene gir verdifull innsikt i kobberkatalyserte oksidasjonsprosesser og danner et grunnlag for utvikling av mer effektive og selektive katalysatorer under milde betingelser.
Main research findings
Nature has perfected the art of breaking strong chemical bonds through specialized enzymes, such as those involved in methane oxidation. Inspired by these biological systems, synthetic copper-based catalysts are developed to mimic enzyme functions. This thesis explores how the electronic structure, ligand environment, and choice of oxidant influence the reactivity of biomimetic copper complexes. Using computational chemistry, we analyze how different oxidants, such as hydrogen peroxide and tert-butyl hydroperoxide, interact with copper catalysts and generate highly reactive species capable of breaking C–H bonds. Our results reveal that subtle variations in catalyst design significantly impact reaction pathways, affecting both efficiency and selectivity. This research provides a deeper understanding of copper-catalyzed oxidation mechanisms, which paves the way for designing next-generation catalysts that harness the principles of nature to develop more efficient and environmentally friendly chemical processes.
Candidate contact information
E-post: ning.cao@smn.uio.no
Phone: +47 968 11 899
Adjudication committee
Professor Marcel Swart
University of Girona, Spain
Associate Professor Aleix Comas-Vives
Technische Universität Wien, Austria
Professor Ute Krengel
Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, Norway
Due to illness, Senior Researcher Ole Swang from SINTEF, will fill in as 2. opponent and Associate Professor Aleix Comas-Vives will fill in as 1. opponent on the disputation.
Supervisors
Researcher Ainara Nova Flores
Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, Norway
Professor Unni Olsbye
Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, Norway
Senior Researcher David Balcells Badia
Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, Norway
Chair of defence
Professor Harald Walderhaug
Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, Norway