The use of molecular components in optoelectronic devices is now a reality. Our purpose is to use the vast chemical space offered by synthetic chemistry to impart novel functionalities to molecular devices, exploiting quantum phenomena unique to the nanoscale world. Our activities include the synthesis of molecular wires, their integration in optoelectronic devices, and the development of instrumentation and methods for the determination of their properties.
The Team
We have two PhD studentships to offer, one with a focus on single-molecule measurements and another with a focus on chemical synthesis. Please drop me an email for further information or informal enquiries. I'll update this entry with links to further details and to the UoL application portal as soon as they're available.
Amit landed his third contribution to this year's Angewandte Chemie volume! This manuscript discusses the use of Pt(II) cyclometalated moieties to impart mechanoresistive behaviour to molecular wires, achieving unprecedented magnitudes of conductance modulation. Find our work here, open-access and free to read.
Amit's paper on the outstanding transport behaviour of diradicaloid molecular wires has been published in Angewandte Chemie. Read it here.
Our paper on the correlation between NMR chemical shift and single-molecule conductance has been published in Angewandte Chemie, which includes work by Xiaohang, Amit, Chuanli and Shaun and collaboration with colleagues in Warwick. Read it here.
Amit's paper on the mechanoresistive behaviour of 1,1'-binapthyl devices has been published in Small.
Read it here.
See the full list of publications for some other collaborative works
that have been recently published on single-molecule junctions fabricated with coordination compounds.
Chongguang's paper about T-shaped spiropyrans, in collaboration with colleagues in Warwick (UK) and Perth (Australia) for more reproducible switching has been published in Small. Read it here.
Several new positions are available in the group. We're looking to hire 2 postdoctoral research associates and 2 PhD students. In both cases,
one position will have a focus on synthetic chemistry, while the other will focus on molecular photonics, nanoscale measurements, and instrument development.
Interested applicants please contact Andrea via email. Details for applying to the job in the links below.
Position in Synthetic Chemistry
Position in Molecular Photonics
Saman's work on pillar[5]arene-sheathed molecular junctions has been published in Advanced Materials Interfaces. I also took this opportunity to write a behind the paper column for his previous work on verdazyl radicals.
A few new articles have been published recently. Two studies on molecule/nanoparticles assemblies in PCCP and in J. Mat. Chem. C, and James' paper on interfacial effects in single-molecule electronics in Angewandte Chemie.
A new section, "The Beauty of Science" has been added to the website. It will be populated with pictures from our laboratory, showcasing the activities currently underway.
Our opinion on the field of redox-active single-molecule junctions is available online on Current Opinion in Electrochemistry.
Saman's work on Verdazyl radicals has been published in Angewandte Chemie as a "Hot Paper"!
There's a fully-funded (tuition + stipend at EPSRC rates) PhD position available in the group, with a heavy focus on synthetic chemistry. Apply here, or contact us if interested.
Two reviews have been published on current directions of the research group. A work outlining progress on organometallic and cluster-containing wires for molecular electronics is available in the Encyclopedia of Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry, while a review on mechanosensitive and piezoresistive molecular junctions has been published in RSC Nanoscale.
A HEX PVD System has been installed in our lab. Many thanks to Lars, Philippa and Jess from Korvustech!
Andrea has been awarded a EPSRC New Investigator Award, to study Quantum-Enhanced Molecular Piezoresistivity.
The paper "Folding a Single-Molecule Junction" has been accepted for publication and is now online. Please read the article on Nano Letters here, and the "Behind the Paper" here.
The paper "Determining plasmonic hot-carrier energy distributions via single-molecule transport measurements" has been accepted for publication and is now online. Please read the article on Science here, and the press release here.
The paper "A Chemically Soldered Polyoxometalate Single-Molecule Transistor" has been accepted for publication and is now online. Please read it on Angewandte Chemie International Edition here, and discover the story behind it here.
The paper "In Situ Formation of H-Bonding Imidazole Chains in Break-Junction Experiments" has been accepted for publication and is now online. Please read it on Nanoscale here.
Our latest Angewandte Chemie paper has been featured on the inside back cover!
We're hiring! A PhD position is now available in the group, to work on electroluminescent phenomena of single-molecule junctions. Link
The paper "Synthetic Control of Quantum Interference by Regulating Charge on a Single Atom in Heteroaromatic Molecular Junctions" has been accepted for publication and is now online. Please read it on the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters here.
The paper "Hemilabile ligands as mechanosensitive electrode contacts for molecular electronics" has been highlighted on ChemistryViews, the magazine of ChemPubSoc Europe.
The paper "Hemilabile ligands as mechanosensitive electrode contacts for molecular electronics" has been accepted for publication and is now online. Please read it on Angewandte Chemie International Edition here, and discover the story behind it here.
Andrea has been awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship, to study the Single-Entity Electronics and Photonics of Chemically Wired Nanocrystals, at the University of Liverpool starting October 2019. 43 new fellows were appointed in 2019, at 24 universities across the UK and Ireland.
Andrea joined the faculty of the Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool as a Lecturer.
