Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture

Dr Lucille Mbonzhe

Lecturer · Department of Chemistry

Academic Profile

Dr Lucille Mbonzhe

Dr Lucille Mbonzhe
Department of Chemistry

Dr Lucille Mbonzhe

Lecturer

Highest qualificationPhD Chemistry (Inorganic Chemistry) – University of Venda
SpecialisationPorous Materials Chemistry Crystallography Functional Materials for Agriculture and Food Science Gas Adsorption and Molecular Separation Structural Characterization of Crystalline Materials
Research

Research Interests

Design, synthesis and crystallographic characterization of porous crystalline materials, including bio-MOFs and bio-COFs, for sustainable applications in agriculture, food science, adsorption, sensing, contaminant removal, nutrient delivery and controlled-release technologies.

Current Work

Current & Recent Projects

  • Design and synthesis of bio-MOFs and bio-COFs for agricultural and food applications.
  • Crystal engineering and crystallographic characterization of porous materials.
  • Host–guest chemistry and structure–property relationships in porous frameworks.
  • Adsorption and separation processes in porous crystalline materials.
  • Development of functional porous materials for nutrient delivery, food preservation, sensing and environmental remediation.
Teaching

Teaching Areas

  • CHE1221: Introductory Inorganic Chemistry I
  • CHE2121: Inorganic Chemistry II
  • CHE3221: Practical Component
Research Profiles

Professional Profiles

  • ORCID: 0000-0001-5701-4858
  • Google Scholar: Luccile Mbonzhe
Professional

Membership & Supervision

  • South African Chemical Institute (SACI) -11931
Contact

University Contact Details

Scholarship

Recent Articles

  1. Mbonzhe, L. & Batisai, E. (2026). Synthesis and structure of a 1:1 cocrystal of N,N′-bis(pyridin-3-ylmethyl) pyromellitic diimide and naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylic acid. Structure Reports Online, 82(7).
  2. Rolivhuwa Mahwasane, Luccile Mbonzhe, Nabanita Chatterjee, and Eustina Batisai, Coordination Complexes of Cd(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Substituted Diimide Ligands: Syntheses, Structural Analyses, and Gas Sorption Studies, 2026, J Struct Chem., 67, 806–814. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0022476626040098
  3. Luccile Mbonzhe, Lufuno Mushango, Nabanita Chatterjee, Clive L. Oliver, Leigh Loots, and Eustina Batisai, Three-dimensional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) containing substituted diimide ligands: Synthesis, structures, and gas sorption studies, 2024, CrystEngcomm, 26, 3665-3671, https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ce00332b
  4. Rolivhuwa Mahwasane, Luccile Mbonzhe, Nabanita Chatterjee, Clive Oliver, and Eustina Batisai, Synthesis, structures, and CO2 sorption of a Cu(II) and Zn(II) two-fold interpenetrated pyridyl diimide metal–organic frameworks, 2023, Inorganic Chemistry Communications, 150, 110477, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inoche.2023.110477
  5. Luccile Mbonzhe and Eustina Batisai, Applications of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) in wound healing and tuberculosis (TB) treatment, 2022, Results in Chemistry, 4, 100648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rechem.2022.100648