vCardDr Andrew Benniston

Dr Andrew Benniston
Senior Lecturer and Co-Director of the Molecular Photonics Laboratory

As co-founder of the Molecular Photonics Laboratory (MPL) at Newcastle in 2001, my role is primarily concerned with the design and synthesis of multi-component supermolecules for fundamental studies in energy and/or electron transfer. A more recent aspect is applying the developed systems for photonic applications such as real-time monitoring of physical processes in nano-environments, solid-state luminescence pressure-sensitive materials, photochromic materials for data recording, and fluorescence sensors for biological imaging. The complexity of the molecular systems produced depends greatly on the problem to be addressed, but high purity and full structural characterisation are paramount.

Research Interests

Directional Electron Transfer
Multidimensional Molecular Switches
New Imaging Technology
Photochromic Materials
Picosecond Time-Resolved Resonance Raman Spectroscopy of Charge-Transfer Intermediates

Current Work

Electron transfer in molecular wires
Structural reorganization dynamics of donor-acceptor complexes
Artificial enzymes
Publications 2003-2009
1: A. C. Benniston, W. Clegg, R. Harrington, A. Harriman, P. Li, C. Sams, Synthesis of a Polyether Biphenyl-based Cyclophane via Benzidine Rearrangement of a Constrained m-Nitrophenol Derivative, Tetrahedron Lett. 2003, 44, 2665.
2: A. C. Benniston, P. Li, C. Sams, Controlling the Torsion Angle via Adventitious Cation binding, Tetrahedron Lett. 2003, 44, 3947.
3: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, P. Li, C. Sams, Building Molecular-scale Bridges having Restricted Rotation, Tetrahedron Lett. 2003, 44, 4167.
4: A. C. Benniston, P. Matousek, M. Towrie, A. W. Parker, I. E. McCulloch, Detailed Picosecond Kerr-Gated Time Resolved Resonance Raman Spectroscopy and Time Resolved Emission Studies of Merocyanine 540 in Various Solvents, J. Phys. Chem (A) 2003, 107, 4347.
5: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, M. Davies, C. Sams. Photophysical Properties of a Supramolecular Interlocked Conjugate, J. Phys. Chem. (A) 2003, 107, 4669.
6: A. Amini, K. Bates, A. C. Benniston, D. J. Lawrie, E. Soubeyrand-Lenoir, Towards Molecular T-Junction Relays, Tetrahedron Lett. 2003, 44, 8245.
7: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, D. Lawrie, A. Mayeux, K. Rafferty, O. D. Russell, A General Purpose Reporter for Cations: Absorption, Fluorescence and Electrochemical Sensing of Zinc(II). J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. 2003, 4762.
8: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, D. J. Lawrie, A. Mayeux, The Photophysical Properties of a Pyrene-Thiophene-Terpyridine Conjugate and of its Zinc(II) and Ruthenium(II) Complexes. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2004, 6, 51.
9: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, M. Mehrabi, S. Rostran, I. E. McCulloch, C. Sams Photophysical Properties of a Bis-Oxonol Dye, J. Photochem. Photobiol. A, 2004, 163, 61.
10: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, D. J. Lawrie, S. Rostron, Synthesis of a multitopic pyrene-thiophene-anthracene-2,2’:6’,2”-terpyridine array, Tetrahedron Lett. 2004, 45, 2503.
11: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, P. Li, C. Sams, Conformational Control of Electron Delocalisation in Geometrically Constrained Binuclear Ruthenium (II) bis (2,2’:6’,2”-Terpyridine) Complexes, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2004, 875.
12: A. C. Benniston, Cyclophanes: Endobasic, Endoacidic and Endolipophilic Cavities, In Encyclopaedia of Supramolecular Chemistry (Eds J. L. Atwood, J. Steed),Dekker, 2004, 424.
13: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, R. Ziessel, Photophysical Properties of Closely-Coupled, Binuclear Ruthenium(II) Bis (2,2’:6’,2”-Terpyridine) Complexes, J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. 2004,1227.
14: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, R. Ziessel, Effect of Parent Ligand on the Photophysical Properties of Closely-Coupled Binuclear Ruthenium(II) Bis (2,2’:6’,2”-Terpyridine) Complexes, J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. 2004,1233.
15: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, D. J. Lawrie, S. Rostron, A Closely-coupled Pyrene Dimer Having Unusually Intense Fluorescence, Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2004, 2272.
16: A. C. Benniston, G. Chapman, A. Harriman, M. Mehrabi, C. Sams,
Electron Delocalization in a Ruthenium(II) Bis(2,2':6',2''-terpyridyl) Complex, Inorg. Chem. 2004, 43, 4227.
17: A. C. Benniston, S. Rostron, S. Mitchell, S. Yang, Synthesis of Extended Ethynylnaphthalene-based Ruthenium(II) 2,2':6',2"-Terpyridine Complexes, Tetrahedron Lett. 2004,45,7883
18: A. C. Benniston, P. Gunning, R. D. Peacock, A Modular Ditopic Crown-Shielded Phosphate Ion-Pair Receptor Chem. Commun. 2004, 2226.
19: A. C. Benniston, G. Chapman, A. Harriman, M. Meyrabi, Intramolecular Energy Transfer in Molecular Dyads Comprising Free-base Porphyrin and Ruthenium(II) Bis(2,2’:6’,2”-terpyridine) Termini, J. Phys. Chem. A 2004, 108, 9026.
20: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, P. Li, C. Sams, M. D. Ward, Orientational Control of Electronic Coupling in Mixed-Valence, Binuclear Ruthenium(II) (2,2':6',2"-Terpyridine) Complexes, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2004, 126, 13630.
21: A. C. Benniston, Pushing Around Electrons: Towards 2-D and 3-D Molecular Switches, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2004, 33, 573.
22: A. C. Benniston, P. Gunning, R. D. Peacock, Synthesis and Binding Properties of Hybrid Cyclophane-Azamacrocyclic Receptors, J. Org. Chem. 2005, 70, 115.
23: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, P. Li , C. Sams, Temperature-induced Switching of the Mechanism for Energy Transfer in a 2,2’,6’,2’’-Terpyridine-based Ru(II)/Os(II) Trinuclear Array, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 2553.
24: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, P. Li , C. Sams, Comparison of the Photophysical Properties of Osmium(II) Bis (2,2’:6’,2’’Terpyridine) and the Corresponding Ethynylated Derivative. J. Phys. Chem. A. 2005, 109, 2302.
25: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, D. J. Lawrie, M. Meyrabi, DNA Binding of a Molecular Scale Receptor in the Presence of Zinc(II) Ions, Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2005, 1384.
26: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, P. Li, J. Rostron, J. W. Verhoeven, Illumination of 9-meistyl-10-methylacridinium ion does not produce an exceptionally long-lived excited state, Chem. Commun. 2005, 2701.
27: A. C. Benniston, G. Chapman, A. Harriman, S. Rostron, Reversible Luminescence Switching in a Ruthenium(II) Bis(2,2’:6’,2’’-Terpyridine)-Benzoquinone Diad, Inorg. Chem. 2005, 44, 4029.
28: J.W. Verhoeven, H. J. van Ramesdonk, H. Zhang, M. M. Groeneveld, A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, Long-lived Charge-Transfer States in 9-Aryl-Acridinium Ions; A Critical Reinvestigation, Int. J. Photoenergy, 2005, 7, 103.
29: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, D. J. Lawrie, M. Mehrabi, O. D. Russell, A Ditopic Receptor for Cation Binding and Facilitated Transport Through a Supported Liquid Membrane, Inorg. Chim. Acta. 2005, 358, 3483.
30: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, J. P. Rostron, The Effect of Solvent Polarity on the Photophysical Properties of 4-Cyano-(4’-methylthio)diphenylacetylene: A Protypic Donor-Acceptor System. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2005, 3041.
31: B. Allen, A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, S. A. Rostron, C. Yu, The Photophysical Properties of a Julolidine-based Molecular Rotor, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2005, 3035.
32: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, P. Li, J. P. Rostron, Controlling Electron Delocalization in Constrained N,N’-Dimethly-4,4’-bipyridinium Dications, Tetrahedron Lett., 2005, 46, 7291.
33: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, P. Li. C. A. Sams, The Effect of Torsion Angle on the Rate of Intramolecular Triplet Energy Transfer, Phys.Chem.Chem.Phys. 2005, 7, 3677.
34: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, P. V. Patel, C. A. Sams, A Strategy for Controlling the Central Torsion Angle in Biphenyl-based Molecular-scale Bridges, Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2005,4680.
35: J. W. Verhoeven, H. J. van Ramesdonk, M. M. Groeneveld, A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, Long Lived Charge Transfer States in Compact Donor-Acceptor Dyads, Chem. Phys. Chem. 2005, 6, 2251.
36: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, P. Li, J. P. Rostron, H. J. van Ramesdonk, M. M. Groeneveld, H. Zhang, J. W. Verhoeven, Charge Shift and Triplet State Formation in the 9-Mesityl-10-Methylacridinium Cation, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 16054.
37: A. C. Benniston, G. Chapman, A. Harriman, C. Sams, Photophysical Investigation of the Triplet Manifold of mono- and bis- Phenylethynyl-(2,2’:6’,2’’-terpyridine) Ruthenium(II) Complexes, Inorg. Chim. Acta. 2006, 359,753.
38: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, Charge on the Move: How Electron- Transfer Dynamics Depend on Molecular Conformation, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2006, 35,169.
39: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, C. Pariani, C. A. Sams, Intramolecualr Energy-Transfer Processes in a bis(porphyrin)-ruthenium(II) bis(2,2’:6’,2’’-terpyridine) Molecular Array, Phys.Chem.Chem.Phys., 2006, 8, 2051.
40: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, P. Li, P. V. Patel, C. A. Sams. A Strategy for the Synthesis of Metal bis-(2,2’:6’,2’’-terpyridine)-Terminated Molecular Diads having Controlled Torsion Angles at the Central Biphenyl Linker, J. Org. Chem. 2006, 71, 3481.
41: B. D. Allen, A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, L. J. Mallon, C. Pariani, Competing Through-Space and Through-Bond, Intramolecular Triplet-Energy Transfer in a Supposedly Rigid Ruthenium (II) tris-(2,2’-bipyridine)-Fullerene Molecular Dyad, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2006, 8, 4112.
42: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, P. Li, P. V. Patel, J. P. Rostron, C. A. Sams, An Apparent Angle Dependence for the Nonradiative Deactivation of Excited Triplet States of Sterically Constrained, Binuclear Ruthenium(II) Bis(2,2’:6’,2’’-terpyridine) Complexes, J. Phys. Chem. A 2006, 110, 9880.
43: A. C. Benniston, D. B. Rewinska, Simultaneous Fluorescence and Redox Modulation in an Irreversible Photochrome based on a Strained Dibenzo-acridinium Cation, Org. Biomol. Chem. 2006, 4, 3886.
44: I. Llarena, A. C. Benniston, G. Izzet, D. B. Rewinska, R. W. Harrington, W. Clegg, Synthesis of a Redox-active Molecular Switch based on Dibenzo[1,2]dithiine, Tetrahedron Lett. 2006, 47, 9135.
45: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, Sarah L. Howell, P. Li, D. P. Lydon, Opening a Spiropyran Ring by Way of an Exciplex Intermediate, J. Org. Chem. 2007, 72, 888.
46: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, S. L. Howell, C. A. Sams, Y.-G. Zhi, Intramolecular Excimer Formation and Delayed Fluorescence in Sterically-constrained Pyrene Dimers, Chem. Eur. J. 2007, 13, 4665.
47: D. P. Lydon, P. Li, A. C. Benniston, W. McFarlane, R. W. Harrington, W. Clegg, Solid Phase and Solution Phase Structural Characterization of Pyrene-based, T-Shaped Molecular Dyads, Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2007, 1653.
48: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, I. Llarena, C. A. Sams, Delayed Fluorescence as a New Tool for Imaging: Synthesis and Photophysical Properties of a Prototype Pyrene Dyad, Chem. Mater. 2007, 19, 1931.
49: B. D. Allen, A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, I. Llarena, C. A. Sams, How the Torsion Angle Affects the Rates of Nonradiative Decay in Some Geometrically-resticted p-Quaterphenyls, J. Phys Chem. A 2007, 111, 2641.
50: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, P. Li, J. P. Rostron, A Spectroscopic Study of the Reduction of Geometrically-restrained Viologens, Chem. Eur. J., 2007, 13, 7839.
51: A. C. Benniston, A Bright Future, Chem. Sci. 2007, 4, C73.
52: A. C. Benniston, Porphyrin Linked Poly(pyridyl)-based Conjugates as Artificial Photosynthetic Reaction Centre Models, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2007,9, 5739.
53: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, C. Pariani, C. A. Sams, Competition between Energy Transfer and Interligand Electron Transfer in Porphyrin-Osmium(II) bis(2,2’:6’,2”-terpyridine) Dyads, J. Phys Chem A. 2007,111, 8918.
54: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, D. B. Rewinska, S. Yang, Y.-G. Zhi, On the Conjugation Length for Oligo(ethynylnaphthalene)-based Molecular Rods, Chem. Eur. J. 2007, 13, 10194.
55:A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, Controlling Electron Exchange in Molecular Assemblies, Coord. Chem. Rev. 2008, 252, 2528.
56: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, P. Li, P. V. Patel, C. A. Sams, Electron Exchange in Conformationally Restricted Donor-Spacer-Acceptor Dyads: Angle Dependence and Involvement of Upper-lying Excited States, Chem. Eur. J., 2008, 14, 1710.
57: A. C. Benniston, G. Copley, K. J. Elliott, R. W. Harrington, W. Clegg, Redox Controlled Fluorescence Modulation in a BODIPY-quinone Dyad, Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2008, 2705.
58: M. A. H. Alamiry, A. C. Benniston, G. Copley, K. J. Elliott, A. Harriman, B. Stewart, Y.-G. Zhi, A Molecular Rotor Based on a Unhindered Boron Dipyrromethene (Bodipy) Dye, Chem. Mater. 2008, 20, 4024.
59: A. C. Benniston, J. Fortage, Selenospiropyrans Incorporating Appended Pyrene Chromophores, Tetrahedron Lett. 2008, 49, 4292.
60: A. C. Benniston, G. Copley, A. Harriman, D. B. Rewinska, R. W. Harrington, W. Clegg, A Donor-Acceptor Molecular Dyad Showing Multiple Electronic Energy-Transfer Processes in Crystalline and Amorphous States, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 7174.
61: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, J. Verhoeven, Electron-transfer Reactions in the 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ion: Impurities, Triplet States and Infinitely Long-lived Charge-shift States? Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2008, 10, 5156.
62: A. C. Benniston, A. Harriman, Mimicking the Essential Features of Photosynthesis: How are we doing? Materials Today, 2008, 11, 26.
63: A. C. Benniston, K. J. Elliott, R. W. Harrington, W. Clegg, On the Photochemical Stability of the 9-Mesityl-10-methylacridinium Cation, Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2009, 253.
64: A. C. Benniston, B. D. Allen, A. Harriman, I, Llarena, J. P. Rostron, B. Stewart, Accessing Molecular Memory via a Disulfide Switch, New J. Chem. 2009, 33, 417.
65: A. C. Benniston, G. Copley, Lighting the Way Ahead with Boron Dipyrromethene (Bodipy) Dyes, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2009, 11, 4124.

Future Research

Design and synthesis of artificial neural networks capable of directional electron migration.
Self repairing photoactive assemblies
Solar driven fixation of carbon dioxide

Research Roles

The synthetic section of the Molecular Photonics Laboratory is the complementary part of the spectroscopy section run by Prof. Tony Harriman. My role is to design new molecular systems and supervise their synthesis and full characterisation.

Postgraduate Supervision

The synthesis section of the Molecular Photonics Laboratory is currently supporting four PhD students, one MSc student and a MChem student. Four post-doctoral researchers also support the synthetic programmes. Three postgraduate students have recently been awarded their PhDs.

Esteem Indicators

EPSRC College Member (2003-2005)
Grant Reviewer: National Science Foundation (USA)
Organiser: RSC Macrocycles and Supramolecular Chemistry Meeting (2005)
Invited contributor to the "Encylopedia of Supramolecular Chemistry" (Eds J. Steed & J. Atwood)(2004)
Invited contributor to the acclaimed book "Nanostructured Materials and Nanotechnology" (Ed H. S. Nalwa) (2001)
Invited articles for Chemical Society Reviews (1996), (2004) and(2006)
Invited review article for PCCP on Renewable Energy (2007 Front Cover Article) and ‘Instant Insight’ for Chemical Science.
Co-organiser RSC one-day symposium on Renawable Energy at Glasgow University (2009)

Funding

5 EPSRC grants
3 Nuffield Foundation grants
1 Leverhulme grant

Background

The Molecular Photonics Laboratory (MPL) was set up in 2001 to allow the synthesis and investigation (spectroscopic & theoretical) of photoactive molecular-scale systems to be carried out in the same institute. The MPL group is multidisciplinary, where members from all backgrounds participate in a weekly meeting where progress updates are given and current literature reviewed.

Roles and Responsibilities

Co-Director of Molecular Photonics Laboratory
Stage 2 Laboratory Organiser
Module Leader CHY2401, CHY3002
Liaison for Year Abroad Students
Undergraduate Admissions Tutor

Qualifications

PhD University of Warwick
BSc (hons) 1st Chemistry: University of Warwick
CChem

Previous Positions

1994-2001 Lecturer: University of Glasgow
1992-1994 Postdoctoral researcher: University of Texas at Austin
1991-1992 Postdoctoral researcher: University of Strasbourg

Memberships

Royal Society of Chemistry

Honours and Awards

Royal Society postdoctoral fellowship (1991)
Royal Society of Chemistry JWT Jones Travel Fellowship (1996)

Languages

English & French

Informal Interests

Time Travel

Undergraduate Teaching

CHY1301 Structural and Inorganic Chemistry
CHY2001 Group Assignment
CHY2401 Structural Chemistry
CHY2003 Topics in Chemistry
CHY3402 Problem Solving A
CHY3401 Problem Solving B
CHY3002 Communicating Chemistry