Research in Structural Chemistry in the Wilson Group

The Wilson Group in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Bath carries out structural chemistry research into a wide range of materials. The principal techniques used are those of diffraction (X-ray and neutron, single crystal and powder) and computational chemistry (usually in the solid-state, periodic environment), backed up by techniques such as DSC and various spectroscopies. Our principal interest has been for many years the study of hydrogen bonding, which we examine over a very diverse set of material types. In common with many structural chemistry groups, our interests include determining hydrogen bond architectures and using these to help design hydrogen-bonded complexes using many of the techniques of Crystal Engineering. However, we are also interested in the fundamental aspects of hydrogen bonding, and employ as a matter of routine variable condition diffraction, studying the evolution of structure as a function of some external variable (e.g. pressure,. temperature), to yield deeper understanding of the forces holding our molecules and complexes together.

More recently, we have become interested in extending our work in designing and synthesising new molecular complexes in two complementary directions, through involvement in a major project on crystallisation of solid materials under continuous flow conditions (the CMAC project), allowing us to control better the formation and manufacture of our solid crystalline systems, and in our participation in a consortium on "Dynamic Structural Science" established at the Research Complex at Harwell (RC@H) in which we aim to probe further the evolution and dynamics of our materials in response to external stimuli, over a range of time-scales.