Event

Can Nanoporous Materials Make High Performance Clean Energy Affordable?

  • Speaker  Matthew Hill

  • Location

    Belval Campus, Maison du Savoir, Room 3.350

    2, place de l'Université

    4365, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

  • Type(s)
    Free of charge, In-person event, Lectures and seminars

About the speaker

Matthew Hill is a technical leader in the field of clean and renewable energy research with 20 years of experience in delivering technical solutions across 55 projects worth $46M AUD. An inorganic chemist by training, his research field is in the application of nanoporous materials for a range of separation, storage and triggered release uses. He has over 160 publications, 20 patents, and over 12000 citations. He has won several awards including the Australian Research Council future fellowship and the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science. He is presently the Head of the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Monash University.

Presentation

The transition to a sustainable energy future demands innovations in materials that can enable efficient capture, storage, and use of clean energy. Nanoporous materials—such as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), porous polymers, and tailored membranes—offer a powerful and versatile platform for addressing critical challenges in this space. These materials are characterised by high surface areas, tunable pore architectures, and diverse chemical functionalities, enabling them to selectively interact with gases, ions, and small molecules in ways that traditional materials cannot.

In this talk, Prof. Matthew Hill will provide an overview of recent advances in the design and application of nanoporous materials from our group at Monash University, with a focus on how they are being applied across the clean energy landscape. These include high-performance MOFs for carbon capture and storage,1, 2 hydrogen3-5 and methane storage materials, and selective membranes for gas separation and energy-efficient chemical processing.6-8 Particular emphasis will be placed on the development of robust, scalable materials that function under realistic industrial conditions—a long-standing barrier to practical deployment.

He will also discuss his work on integrating nanoporous membranes into electrochemical energy systems, such as redox flow9, 10 and lithium-sulfur batteries11, 12. These membranes enable precise molecular separations, and their performance is governed by a subtle interplay between polymer structure, pore morphology, and surface chemistry. By controlling these features at the nanoscale, we can create systems with improved selectivity, permeability, and long-term stability.

His approach combines materials chemistry, process engineering, and advanced characterisation to bridge the gap between fundamental discovery and commercial application. With a growing need for decarbonisation, nanoporous materials offer a rich toolkit for rethinking how we generate, store, and use energy—one molecule at a time.

References

1. M. M. Sadiq, M. P. Batten, X. Mulet, C. Freeman, K. Konstas, J. I. Mardel, J. Tanner, D. Ng, X. Wang and S. Howard, Advanced Sustainable Systems, 2020, 4, 2000101.

2. M. M. Sadiq, K. Konstas, P. Falcaro, A. J. Hill, K. Suzuki and M. R. Hill, Cell Reports Physical Science, 2020, 1.

3. M. T. Scalzo, A. L. Sutton, M. M. Sadiq, H. Zhang, B. D. Freeman, T. F. Scott and M. R. Hill, Chemistry of Materials, 2025, 37, 1174.

4. A. L. Sutton, M. M. Sadiq, J. I. Mardel and M. R. Hill, CrystEngComm, 2024, 26, 6003-6007.

5. A. L. Sutton, J. I. Mardel and M. R. Hill, Chemistry–A European Journal, 2024, 30, e202400717.

6. H. Mahdavi, J. F. Olorunyomi, N. T. Eden, C. M. Doherty, D. Acharya, S. J. Smith, X. Mulet and M. R. Hill, ACS Omega, 2025.

7. Q. Liu, S. J. Smith, K. Konstas, K. Zhang, M. R. Hill and Z. Xie, Separation and Purification Technology, 2025, 361, 131358.

8. A. Khosravanian, M. T. Scalzo, H. Zhang, B. D. Freeman, R. A. Mulvenna, M. R. Hill and T. F. Scott, Polymer, 2024, 126833.

9. W. Liang, E. Ghasemiestahbanati, N. T. Eden, D. Acharya, C. M. Doherty, M. Majumder and M. R. Hill, Angewandte Chemie, 2025, e202505383.

10. E. Ghasemiestahbanati, M. Shaibani, K. Konstas, B. K. Chakrabarti, C. J. Low, M. Majumder and M. R. Hill, ACS Applied Energy Materials, 2022, 5, 1505-1515.

11. D. McNamara, M. Shaibani, M. Majumder and M. R. Hill, Advanced Sustainable Systems, 2023, 7, 2300231.

12. E. Ghasemiestahbanati, Y. H. Yoon, R. P. Lively, M. Shaibani, M. Majumder and M. R. Hill, Carbon, 2023, 203, 856-864.

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