Can the structure of a molecule guide the architecture of a new carbon material? We investigate the assembly and transformation of fullerenes, nanographenes, molecular cages and their derivatives into ordered structures. Through controlled intermolecular interactions, polymerisation and chemical coupling, we aim to translate molecular geometry, curvature and functionality into extended carbon networks.

A particular focus is the use of C₆₀ as a molecular building block, including freestanding fullerene films, linked fullerene architectures and fullerene intercalation into layered hosts. We investigate how bonding, confinement and charge transfer influence these systems, while exploring routes towards fullerene-derived carbon sheets, diamondoid networks and frameworks with unconventional curvature and mixed sp²/sp³ bonding.

We investigate the rational synthesis of low-dimensional diamond, including atomically thin sheets, ribbons, fibres and other unconventional architectures. Building on our work on fluorinated diamane (F-diamane) nanosheets, we explore how precursor, layer stacking, surface chemistry and defects govern the formation, stability and properties of diamond-like carbon frameworks.

Our interests include chemically controlled graphite-to-diamond transformations under mild conditions and molecular routes towards two-dimensional diamond and nanodiamond. A central question is whether molecular geometry and chemical functionalisation can direct the formation of a desired sp³-bonded structure. We aim to understand how surface termination and dopant incorporation can tune the electrical, optical and mechanical behaviour of these materials.

We develop synthesis methods that use dynamic thin films, shear, mechanochemistry and rapid heating to control chemical reactions and material transformations. We investigate how energy delivery, flow, reaction time and cooling rate influence bond formation, structural ordering and the emergence of metastable carbon phases.

These approaches provide routes to explore carbon structures that are difficult to obtain through conventional processing. Alongside fundamental materials discovery, we develop scalable and resource-efficient processes for carbon upcycling, carbon capture and conversion, and clean-energy applications.

We assemble graphene and its derivatives into large-area films, foils and paper-like materials, connecting nanoscale building blocks with macroscopic performance. Our work includes scalable fabrication of stacked and overlapping two-dimensional platelets, targeting lateral dimensions of metres and thicknesses ranging from a few nanometres to millimetres.

Through controlled assembly and thermal and chemical transformations, we tailor alignment, interlayer interactions, defects and graphitic order. We investigate how these structural features govern electrical and thermal transport, mechanical integrity and stability, with applications in electronics, thermal management and technologies for extreme environments.