Welcome to the research group of Dr. Thomas Douglas Bennett, at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge. We focus on the synthesis and characterisation of functional disordered materials. Our aim is to explore the materials space created by the formation of amorphous solids, gels, liquids and glasses from hybrid materials such as MOFs and hybrid perovskites.
Our demonstration of the formation of ‘hybrid’ glasses, i.e. those containing both inorganic and organic components has in particular received much attention, given that these glasses lie outside of the inorganic, organic and metallic categories traditionally known. These have a wide array of multifunctional properties for use in e.g. thermoelectrics, gas separation, drug delivery and ion conduction. At the same time, they possess desirable characteristics from the glass domain, such as mechanical stability, processability and transparency.
Our work in creating such novel materials is underpinned by advanced characterisation methods such as Pair Distribution Function Analysis, which help us understand the structure of complex non-crystalline materials or composites.
Please explore some of our latest research areas below, or a more in-depth selection on the ‘Highlights’ button in the menu bar above.
Research Areas
TDBennett Group 