Mark Bondin

Name: Mark Bondin
Title: Mr.
Institution: University of Melbourne
Address: School of Chemistry
City, ZIP code: Victoria 3010
Country: Australia
E-mail: m.bondin@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au
Web page: http://www.chemistry.unimelb.edu.au/research/groups/best/group/index.html
Interests: Coordination chemistry, Solid solutions, XANES, Electrochemical EXAFS
Keywords: Electrochemistry, ex situ, reactive intermediates, structural change
Brief description of the work:

A key goal of our research has been the development and application of techniques which permit the study of redox-related complexes, in particular Iron Sulfur clusters. This has been primarily based on the use of IR spectroelectrochemistry, which has proved a valuable tool for characterising the chemistry of many redox-active systems. In order to gain a more detailed understanding of the structural changes which accompany a change in the redox state of the molecule under study, we have recently explored the use of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS).

While the relatively fast timeframe for IR spectral acquisition permits the use of in-situ electrosynthetic techniques, acquisition of good quality X-ray absorption data requires a much longer timeframe and is more suited to ex-situ sampling of the electrogenerated species. We have developed a small volume cell suitable for such studies.

EXAFS studies are conducted at a synchrotron radiation facility situated at the KEK High Energy Accelerator Research Organisation in Japan. The Australian government has formed a scientific collaboration with Japan to provide the Australian National Beamline Facility (ANBF) on beamline 20B.

Preliminary EXAFS results on the Fe2S2(CO)6/ [Fe4S4(CO)12]2- redox system have suggested that the technique holds promise for the study of structural changes which accompany redox conversions.