MOFs – Page 2 – Yeung Research Group at UoB

Outreach coming soon!

We recently hear the fantastic news that we’ve been awarded not one but two grants to produce and deliver public engagement / outreach activities! One is from the Cambridge Crystallographic Database Centre, the other is from the Royal Society of Chemistry. The activities will be in the form of activities, games and information about crystallisation, relating to our EPSRC project on MOF formation, and they will be appearing at events in Birmingham in summer 2024! It’s all very exciting but all we can say so as not to spoil the surprise is that some of the activities will be linked to a new piece of music that composer Pablo Sonnaillon has created for us…

If you’re interested in taking part, we’ll soon be looking to recruit a UoB undergraduate to help us design them, as well as a team of volunteers to deliver them at events in summer 2024!

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New MSci students start

The group has been joined by two new MSci students for their fourth-year research projects! Byron Read will be investigating the formation of hybrid perovskites, with a nod towards ionic conductivity, and Will Norman will be investigating the formation of metal-organic frameworks, comparing the effects of different components in the reactions. Welcome to the group, Byron (r) and Will (l)!

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Farewell Matt and Sam

Today after a gourmet calzone group lunch at the Plough, Harborne, we bid farewell to our MSci project students this year, Matt Liddle and Sam Gale.

Matt investigated the phase behaviour of the BIRM-1 family of carboxyphosphonate MOFs, mapping out which phases formed under different synthetic conditions. He discovered at least one new material and showed that, like BIRM-1, it underwent structural collapse and then recrystallisation upon drying and resolvation. Matt goes on to PhD research in the group of Prof Ross Forgan at the University of Glasgow.

Sam investigated structural and compositional variations in the MDABCO-based halide perovskites. He found several new structures––some wonderfully unintended!––that pushed the limits of phase behaviour, broke the rules (that we wrote!) and showed that paraelectric–ferroelectric phase transitions are highly dependent on sample history. We’re currently writing up his work so watch this space for a paper in the near future… Sam is taking a year out and will be looking for PhD opportunities for 2023.

Farewell and good luck for your final exams, Matt and Sam!

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Farewell Joe!

We bid a fond farewell to Joe Barker, who leaves UoB for an exciting Postdoc Research position in the group of Prof Fiona Meldrum at the University of Leeds.

Joe joined the group this year as he was finishing off his PhD research, to help with our MSci projects jointly supervised by Prof Paul Anderson. It was great having you at our group meetings and learning from all your insights into carboxyphosphonate MOFs.

We’ll miss you but we’re looking forward to watching all the developments in your career and research in future!

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New MSci project students!

This month we are joined by Matthew Liddle and Samuel Gale, who will be carrying out their Masters research projects with the group. Matt’s project is looking at phase behaviour of a carboxyphosphonate MOF, BIRM-1, which has potential use in ion exchange and transport. Sam’s project is investigating relationships between the physical properties of hybrid perovskite ferroelectrics and their structural chemistry.

L-R: Sam Gale, Matt Liddle and Joe Barker.

Both Sam and Matt also have a second co-supervisor, Prof Paul Anderson, as well as his PhD student Joe Barker, who joins us as an honorary group member involved in day-to-day supervision of the projects.

Welcome, Sam, Matt and Joe!