Research Interests
My principal research interests lie in the field of solid state chemistry and involve the synthesis, characterisation and evaluation of new materials of potential industrial and academic interest. The technological impact of solid state chemistry over the last few decades has been immense, and has affected almost every aspect of our daily lives. Examples include the zeolite catalysts used in the petroleum industry, the magnetic materials used for data storage in modern computers and the high temperature superconductors which have the potential to revolutionise a large number of applications.
I apologise that these pages and the highlights are not kept as up to date as they should be!
The group has been active in a variety of research areas in recent years:
- Negative Thermal Expansion (NTE) Materials - materials that actually contract in volume when heated
- Synthesis and Properties of new Layered Materials
- In situ diffraction methods
- New transition metal oxychalcogenides
- Magnetic Materials
- Powder Diffraction Methods
- Distortion mode refinements for phase transitions and magnetic materials
- Solid State NMR of Inorganic Materials (with Paul Hodgkinson)
Selected research highlights can be accessed from the menus on the left.
We have excellent facilities within the group for the synthesis and characterisation of new materials including state of the art variable temperature powder diffraction facilities. We have access to all the facilities of Durham's superbly equipped Chemistry department and active collaborations with groups specialising in magnetism and conductivity measurements in the Physics Department. Follow the links on the left to visit our facilities.
We also make extensive use of central facilities such as the ISIS pulsed neutron source, the Synchroton Radiation Source at Daresubry, the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) and the Institute Laue Langevin (ILL) at Grenoble to perform diffraction experiments that are not possible using laboratory facilities.
Modified 30-Jan-2011 by John S.O. Evans.
