'A flexible molecular toolkit for the directed synthesis of heterometallic molecular magnets’

Applications are invited for a 3.5 year PhD studentship under the supervision of Dr Mark Murrie in the School of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow.

The development of new synthetic strategies to assemble high-nuclearity transition metal complexes is a key target in modern coordination chemistry. One of the driving forces for this is their fascinating magnetic properties e.g. single-molecule magnets or magnetic refrigerants and molecules with large spin ground states or large anisotropy barriers.

The use of two, or more, different metal ions to assemble these clusters is an attractive synthetic target and controlling the bottom-up assembly of large heterometallic molecules is a significant challenge. However, the potential rewards are significant, as there is a real possibility of control/design over the individual magnetic parameters that contribute to the overall molecular properties.

The project will involve aspects of coordination chemistry, ligand design, inorganic synthesis, solution studies, X-ray crystallography and magnetic measurements. In this project, we will push forward our new methodology of using a flexible molecular template to target heterometallic molecular magnetic systems. [1]

[1] V. A. Milway, F. Tuna, A. R. Farrell, L. E. Sharp, S. Parsons and M. Murrie, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2013, 52, 1949.

Eligibility: A good first degree (2i or above) in Chemistry or a related subject is required. The position is available from October 2013 onwards and is fully funded (fees and stipend at current EPSRC rates). Note that due to funding restrictions, this position is only available to UK and EU students.

Informal enquiries can be made to: Dr Mark Murrie, School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ, Telephone 0141 330 4486, Email: Mark.Murrie@ glasgow.ac.uk, Web: http://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/staff/markm/