ProfessorBrendan Kennedy

• Solid State and Materials Chemistry
• Crystallography - X-ray and Neutron Scattering
• Structure and Bonding in Metal Oxides

Structural phase transitions in perovskites: Perovskites are arguably the most important class of materials and are of increasing importance for use in photovoltaic and light emitting devices. We are using a combination of high-resolution synchrotron and neutron diffraction studies to understand the response of perovskites to external stimuli, especially temperature and pressure. The delicate balance of simple factors such as ionic size and the degree of covalency of the cations leads to a rich variety of behaviour.

Disorder, Lone Pairs and Photocatalysis:  The stereochemical influence of lone pair electrons is of fundamental importance in predicting the shapes and properties of molecular species. However, the structural influence (or lack thereof) of lone pairs is particularly perplexing for heavier p-block ions such as Tl¹⁺, Pb²⁺ and Bi³⁺, all of which have a 6s² configuration. In some species such a PbO structural influence of such electrons is obvious but it is apparently absent in others including the photocatalysts BiVO₄ and PbWO₄.

Brendan's research aligns with the Faculty of Science Research Strengths - Molecules to Materials, Critical Minerals and Materials, Next Generation Materials.