Prof Peter Day

Physical Inorganic Chemistry

• Solid State Chemistry
• Superconductors
• Ferromagnets
• Low-dimensional Solids

tel: +44 (0)20 7670 2928
fax: +44 (0)20 7670 2988

(Professor Day is based at the Royal Institution, 21 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BS. Students studying for an MPhil/PhD with Professor Day are also supervised by one of the full-time members of academic staff listed elsewhere in these pages.)

Metals are usually thought of as containing close packed arrays of atoms, but quite a lot of molecular solids also behave as metallic conductors. Likewise, magnets are usually metals containing elements of the d- and f-blocks in the Periodic Table, though in the few years examples have also been found among molecular materials. The aim of the research conducted by my group at the Royal Institution is to identify new molecular-based materials that behave as conductors or magnets. We are engaged in chemical synthesis and crystal growth, followed by determination of crystal (and where appropriate magnetic) structures, and the characterisation of a wide range of physical properties such as electrical conductivity and magnetic susceptibility. We measure conductivity of single crystals down to 2 K and have the only 7 Tesla SQUID magnetometer currently installed in Britain. The compounds of interest are usually low-dimensional, that is, their structures contain defined layers or chains of interacting units. Examples are charge transfer salts, especially of organic donor molecules like BEDT-TTF (bisethylenedithiotetrathiafulvalene) with inorganic anions, some of which are superconducting, and other organic-inorganic composite compounds such as transition metal organo-phosphonates. We also have an interest in purely organic magnets and perovskite and spinel oxide superconductors. Our work is strongly interdisciplinary, including active collaboration with physics groups in Oxford and Cambridge, as well as neutron scattering at UK and overseas facilities. We participate in two EC Networks, on Molecular Superconductors and Molecular Magnets.

Prof Day also maintains a web page at the Royal Institution.

Selected publications

1. A Polarized Neutron Diffraction and Mössbauer Spectral Study of Short Range Magnetic Correlations in the Ferrimagnetic Layered Compounds (PPh₄)[Fe^IIFe^III(ox)₃] and (NBu₄)[Fe^IIFe^III(ox)₃], S.G. Carling, D. Visser, D. Hautot, I.D. Watts, P. Day, J. Ensling, P. Gütlich, G.J. Long and F. Grandjean, Phys. Rev. B, accepted
2. ß"-(BEDT-TTF)₄[(H₃O)Cr(C₂O₄)₃]CH₂Cl₂: Effect of Included Solvent on Structure and Properties of a Conducting Molecular Charge Transfer Salt, S. Rashid, S.S. Turner, D. Le Pevelen, P. Day, M.E. Light, M.B. Hursthouse, S. Firth and R.J.H. Clark, Inorg. Chem., 40, 5304-5306 (2001)
3. The First Molecular Charge Transfer Salt Containing Proton Channels, S. Rashid, S.S. Turner, P. Day, M.E. Light, M.B. Hursthouse, S. Firth and R.J.H. Clark, Chem. Commun., 1462-1463 (2001)
4. New Superconducting Charge Transfer Salts b"-(BEDT-TTF)₄[A.M(C₂O₄)₃].^-C₆H₅NO₂; A = H₃O or NH₄; M = Cr or Fe; BEDT-TTF = bisetheylenedithio-tetrathiafulvalene, S. Rashid, S.S. Turner, P. Day, J.A.K. Howard, P. Guionneau, E.J.L. McInnes, F.E. Mabbs, R.J.H. Clark, S. Firth and T. Biggs, J. Mater. Chem., 11, 2095-2101 (2001)
5. TTF-based charge transfer salts of [Cr(NCS)₄(phen)]^-: Bulk magnetic order and crystal structures of the TTF, TMTTF and TMTSF derivaties, S.S. Turner, D. Le Pevelin, P. Day and C.K. Prout, J. Chem. Soc. Dalton Trans., 2739-2744 (2000)
6. Crystal Chemistry and Physical Properties of Superconducting and Semiconducting Charge Transfer Salts (BEDT-TTF)₄[A^IM^III(C₂O₄)₃]C₆H₅CN (A^I = H₃O, NH₄, K; M = Ti, Cr, Fe, Co, Gd, Al; BEDT-TTF = bisethylenedithiotetrathiafulvalene), L. Martin, S.S. Turner, P. Day, P. Guionneau, J.A.K. Howard, K.M.A. Malik, M.A. Hursthouse, M. Uruichi and K. Yakushi, Inorg. Chem., 40, 1363-1371 (2001)
7. Molecular Chemistry of Magnets and Superconductors, P. Day, Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. A, 357, 3163-3184 (1999)
8. Coordination Complexes as Organic-Inorganic Layer Magnets: P. Day, J.C.S. Dalton Trans., 701-705 (1997)

Comprehensive listings of Prof Day's publications are available for 1960-69, 1970-79, 1980-89, 1990-1999 and 2000 to present.