PhD Studentship - Control of Relaxation Times in Rare Earth Single-Molecule Magnets and Qubits

No of positions: 1

This 3.5 year PhD project is fully funded by the Department of Chemistry. The Tuition successful candidate will have their tuition fees paid and they will receive an annual tax free (depending on circumstance) stipend set at the UKRI rate (£19,237 for 2024/25). We expect this to increase annually. This project is for home students only.

An EPSRC DTG-sponsored PhD studentship is available for an outstanding and ambitious chemist to undertake research in the field of synthetic inorganic chemistry in a collaborative project between three research groups at Manchester Chemistry.

In this project we target the synthesis of molecular rare earth qubits and single-molecule magnets (SMMs). Recently at Manchester we have developed a new synthetic methodology to prepare dicationic rare earth compounds bound by only one anionic ligand and haloarene solvents; we have also shown that salt metathesis reactions of bulky alkali metal ligand transfer agents with such compounds proceed remarkably cleanly as fluorobenzene is easily displaced (Chem. Sci., 2025, 16, 610. DOI:10.1039/D4SC06661H). Here we propose a general method to perform sequential salt metathesis and borohydride abstraction reactions, installing supporting ligands and a weakly coordinating anion to give novel rare earth compounds.

The successful candidate, based in the laboratory of Prof. David Mills and co-supervised by Dr Daniel Lee and Prof. Eric McInnes, will synthesise and fully characterise a novel, exciting series of highly air- and moisture-sensitive rare earth compounds. These compounds will be studied by a wide variety of techniques including solid-state NMR spectroscopy, continuous wave and pulsed EPR spectroscopy, SQUID magnetometry, luminescence, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and ab initio calculations. We will determine relaxation times of rare earth qubits and SMMs in different matrices as the necessary first step towards their application in devices.

Applicants are expected to hold, or about to obtain, a minimum upper second-class undergraduate degree (or the overseas equivalent) in Chemistry. A Masters degree in a relevant subject and experience in practical synthetic inorganic chemistry or organometallic chemistry, especially air-sensitive chemistry (Schlenk lines and glove boxes) would be advantageous, although training will be provided.

Before you apply, please contact the supervisors for this project; Prof David Mills - david.mills@manchester.ac.uk, Dr Lee - daniel.lee@manchester.ac.uk and Prof McInnes - Eric.mcinnes@manchester.ac.uk. Please include details of your current level of study, academic background and any relevant experience and include a paragraph about your motivation to study this PhD project.

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