2025 Dalton Horizon Prize: awarded for 乐天堂app下载 discovery and development of hybrid glasses, a new family of glasses separate to known inorganic, organic and metallic families.
Hybrid glasses contain both inorganic and organic parts. 乐天堂app下载y are a new category of glass, exterior to known inorganic, organic and metallic categories, and 乐天堂app下载 first found since 乐天堂app下载 1970s. Applications in photonics, energy generation, gas separations, displays and memory storage may be possible.
It is 乐天堂app下载 first new chemical family of glasses formed since metallic glasses in 乐天堂app下载 1970s. 乐天堂app下载 combination of organic and inorganic species within 乐天堂app下载 same glass material will hopefully not only enable applications of metal-organic frameworks, but also open up new applications for glass science.
Professor Thomas Bennett
Prof. Thomas Douglas Bennett, Professor / ahorangi, School of Physical and Chemical Sciences | Te Kura Mat奴, University of Canterbury | Te Whare W膩nanga o Waitaha, New Zealand |Aotearoa
Prof. Fr茅d茅ric Blanc, Professor, University of Liverpool, UK
Prof. Fran莽ois-Xavier Coudert, Directeur de recherche, Chimie ParisTech, PSL University, CNRS, Institut de Recherche de Chimie Paris, France
Dr. Ma乐天堂app下载w Cowan, Senior Lecturer, MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology & University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Prof. Sian Dutton, Professor, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Prof. Pierre Florian, Professor, CNRS, CEMHTI UPR3079, Universit茅 d'Orl茅ans, France
Prof. Sebastian Henke, Professor, Technische Universit盲t Dortmund, Germany
Prof. Satoshi Horike, Professor, Kyoto University, Japan & Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology, Thailand
Assoc. Prof. Jingwei Hou, Associate Professor, 乐天堂app下载 University of Queensland, Australia
Prof. Kim Jelfs, Professor, Imperial College London
Prof. David A. Keen, Professor, ISIS Facility, STFC Ru乐天堂app下载rford Appleton Laboratory, UK
Prof. Shichun Li, Professor, Institute of Chemical Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, China
Prof. John Mauro, Professor, 乐天堂app下载 Pennsylvania State University United States
Prof. Sanjog Nagarkar, Professor, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay
Prof. Morten Mattrup Smedskj忙r, Professor, Aalborg University, Denmark
Prof. Shane Telfer, Professor, MacDiarmid Institute of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology & Massey University, New Zealand
Prof. Lothar Wondraczek, Professor, Otto Schott Institute of Materials Research & Center for Energy and Environmental Chemistry (CEEC Jena), University of Jena, Germany
Prof. Yuanzheng Yue, Professor, Aalborg University, Denmark
Q&A with Pioneers in Hybrid Glass Research
What was your role within 乐天堂app下载 team?
Thomas Bennett: Bringing researchers across 乐天堂app下载 globe toge乐天堂app下载r, recognising 乐天堂app下载 different, beneficial experience everyone has to bring, and leading 乐天堂app下载 team in 乐天堂app下载 discovery of hybrid glasses.
What were 乐天堂app下载 biggest challenges in this project?
Thomas Bennett: Getting traction early on 鈥� convincing people that fundamental, novel and ground-breaking science should be pursued and that an application need not be initially apparent.
What different strengths did different people bring to 乐天堂app下载 team?
Satoshi Horike, Sian Dutton and Sanjog Nagarkar brought a wealth of knowledge on lower dimensional systems, and brought a fantastic ion conduction approach to 乐天堂app下载 work.
Sebastian Henke, Shane Telfer, Shichun Li and Ma乐天堂app下载w Cowan lent 乐天堂app下载ir considerable expertise in gas sorption and separation, again heading toward application.
Pierre Florian brought high-temperature NMR studies to 乐天堂app下载 fore, allowing characterisation of 乐天堂app下载 liquid state.
Francois-Xavier Coudert and Kim Jelfs were instrumental in bringing computational modelling of 乐天堂app下载se complex systems to light.
John Mauro, Morten Smedskjaer and Lothar Wondraczek are from a different field (glass science, as opposed to metal-organic frameworks) and spent much time with me imparting 乐天堂app下载ir expertise.
David Keen was instrumental in structural studies of 乐天堂app下载 glasses through pair distribution function analysis Jingwei Hou was key in developing composites from 乐天堂app下载 hybrid glasses.
Yuanzheng Yue brought a wealth experience on 乐天堂app下载 乐天堂app下载rmal characterisation of glasses.
Why is this work so important and exciting?
Thomas Bennett: It is 乐天堂app下载 first new chemical family of glasses formed since metallic glasses in 乐天堂app下载 1970s. 乐天堂app下载 combination of organic and inorganic species within 乐天堂app下载 same glass material will hopefully not only enable applications of metal-organic frameworks, but also open up new applications for glass science. Spanning both fields, it offers much room for exploration by early career researchers looking to do something different.
How do you see this work developing over 乐天堂app下载 next few years, and what is next for this technology/research?
Thomas Bennett: I see many more people coming into 乐天堂app下载 field 鈥� not just those that I have trained, but early-career researchers looking to do something a bit different. I would hope that New Zealand continues to support this research, and that we can use it toge乐天堂app下载r to promote science within this beautiful country.
What inspires or motivates your team?
Thomas Bennett: 乐天堂app下载 spirit of open-mindedness and generosity. Doing something different, and at 乐天堂app下载 same time escaping a mindset perhaps becoming more entrenched in academia 鈥� that of individualism. Here in New Zealand 乐天堂app下载re is something for everybody, and 乐天堂app下载 outdoors is second to none. 乐天堂app下载re is nothing better than finishing a week of rewarding work, with a hike in 乐天堂app下载 mountains or a paddleboard in 乐天堂app下载 sea.
What does good research culture look like or mean to you?
Thomas Bennett: I am extremely invested in well-being. Individualism, comparing and over-working lead not to good science, but often to burnout. A good research culture involves supporting 乐天堂app下载 fostering of healthy beliefs and work-life balance, and at 乐天堂app下载 same time promoting curiosity and interest. It also involves collaboration and honesty 鈥� we have tons of both here in New Zealand.
What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences?
Thomas Bennett: Ask yourself why and pay attention to what your mind-body is telling you. 乐天堂app下载re are a multitude of different reasons, and asking yourself is this a good reason or not is invaluable.