PhD in Metallo Liquid Crystals at Victoria University of Wellington

Liquid crystals are ubiquitous in technology; they are the basis of LCD displays. In that technology, the electro-optic response of organic building blocks is exploited. By making liquid-crystalline structures from molecules with more complex physical properties, we have the opportunity to create a class of materials with strong collective responses and uses ranging from diagnostics to fuel cells.

To achieve this we will create a new class of multifunctional materials based on metal complexes designed to incorporate targeted metal-based chemical responses (including electronic, magnetic and optical) and the ability to form liquid crystals, and investigate the juxtaposition of behaviour.

The PhD student will be based at Victoria University of Wellington, working with Professors Kathryn McGrath and John Spencer and will be involved in the synthesis of novel metallomesogens, based on literature precedents moving into the full liquid crystalline analysis of the compounds and extending into analysis of the electronic, optical and electro-optic responses of the resulting liquid crystals.