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Professor Doug MacFarlane

Doug MacFarlane Professor
PhD(Purdue), BSc(Hons) Physics and Chemistry, BA(History)
Room: 129, Building 19, Clayton
Phone: +61 3 9905 4540
Fax: +61 3 9905 4597
email: douglas.macfarlane@sci.monash.edu.au
Website: Monash Ionic Liquid website

PhD, Purdue (1983), BSc(Hons) Physics and Chemistry and B.A. (History) Victoria University of Wellington (1979).
Head of School (2003 - ), Professor of Chemistry (1995 - )

Special Commendation in the Vice-Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Awards, 1994. 1996 RACI Hartung Youth Lecturer.

Teaching Commitments

  • First through fourth year level in Chemistry
  • Speciality in materials chemistry, physical

Research Interests

Preparation and characterization of ionic liquids and other types of ionic materials for a range of applications in electrochemistry, green chemistry, solar cells, batteries and biotechnology, including protein stabilization and biopreservation. More details visit our Ionic Liquids group website. Chief Investigator in the Australian Centre for Electromaterials Science.

Publications

Published more than 300 journal papers and 20 patents. Some recent selected publications include:

  • Protein Solubilising and Stabilising Ionic Liquids. K.Fujita, D.R. MacFarlane, M. Forsyth, Chem.Commun.2005,4804–4806.
    This paper demonstrated for the first time that certain purpose-designed ILs can act as very powerful stabilizing solvents for proteins.

  • Lithium-Doped Plastic Crystal Electrolytes Exhibiting Fast Ion Conduction for Secondary Batteries. D.R. MacFarlane, J. Huang and M. Forsyth, Nature 1999, 402, 792-794.
    This paper describes a completely new family of materials in which fast, solid-state ion conduction is present.

  • Use of Ionic Liquids For π-Conjugated Polymer Electrochemical Devices. W. Lu, A.G. Fadeev,B.Qi, B.R. Mattes, G. Wallace, J. Ding, G. Spinks, J. Mazurkiewicz, D.R.MacFarlane, S. Forsyth and M. Forsyth, Science 2002, 297, 983-987.
    This paper shows how ionic liquids provids superb, breakthrough-level cycle stability in devices based on conducting polymers.

  • The Zwitterion Effect in High-conductivity Polyelectrolyte Materials. C. Tiyapiboonchaiya, J.M. Pringle, J. Sun, N. Byrne, P.C. Howlett, D.R. MacFarlane, M. Forsyth, Nature Materials 2004, 3, 29-32.
    Discovery and description of the “zwitterion effect,” which has now been shown to be strongly operative in ionic liquids also.

  • Ambient Temperature Plastic Crystal Electrolyte for Efficient, All-Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell. P. Wang, Q. Dai; S.M. Zakeeruddin, M. Forsyth, D.R. MacFarlane, M. Graetzel, J.Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 13590-13591.
    The first demonstration of a plastic crystalline based all-solid-state dye sensitised solar cell.

  • Pyrrolidinium Imides: A New Family of Molten Salts and Conductive Plastic Crystal Phases. D.R. MacFarlane, P. Meakin, J. Sun, N. Amini, M. Forsyth,J Phys Chem. 1999, 103, 4164-4170.
    This paper was the first report of the immensely stable pyrrolidinium (CF3SO2)2N-- family of salts which have gone on to be used by many in electrochemical applications. It is also the first description of pyrrolidinium family of cations for use in ionic liquids.

  • Low Viscosity Ionic Liquids Based on Organic Salts of the Dicyanamide Anion. D.R. MacFarlane, J. Golding, S. Forsyth, M. Forsyth and G.B. Deacon, Chem. Commun. 2001, 1430-1431.
    This paper was the first report of the dicyanamide family of ionic liquids