We are a materials chemistry group based at Imperial College London. Our research investigates flexible solids with exotic properties, and makes use of these materials for future devices.
Research
The group's research focuses on understanding and exploiting unusual properties of flexible framework materials. Central to this work is the ability to reveal the atomic structure—how atoms are arranged in 3D space—using crystallography. Knowing the atomic structure allows us to design better materials and push materials with unique properties towards applications.
In our work, we make significant use of large-scale national and international neutron and synchrotron X-ray facilities. You can learn more about our research below, explore publications, and read research highlights in the blog.
Andrew Cairns
Andrew is an Assistant Professor in Materials Chemistry at Imperial College London and Director of Undergraduate Studies. Previously, he was a postdoctoral scientist at the ESRF on the high-pressure diffraction Beamline ID27, and from 2017 to 2021, he was a research fellow at Imperial. He completed both undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford. In 2016, he received the ESRF Young Scientist Award and PANalytical PCG Thesis Prize from the British Crystallography Association.
Alongside research, Andrew advocates for openness and diversity in science. Andrew is the course note editor for the BCA/CCG Intensive Teaching School in X-Ray Structure Analysis.
Blog Highlights
Network
Andrew B. Cairns - PI
Elina Elvelo - PhD Student (Stockholm)
Fin Hardy - PhD Student (with Shelly Conroy)
Dr Hanna Boström - Stockholm
Dr Ines Collings - Natural History Museum
Dr Shelly Conroy - Imperial College London
Recent Publications
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Copper(I) tricyanomethanide, Cu(tcm), is a flexible framework material that exhibits the strongest negative area compressibility (NAC) effect ever observed─a remarkable property with potential applications in pressure sensors, artificial muscles, and shock-absorbing devices.
Journal of the American Chemical Society 2025, 147, 17946–17953
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Two hybrid perovskite frameworks with winerack structures, a known NLC topology, are investigated under pressure. [C(NH2)3]Er(HCO2)2(C2O4) exhibits NLC from ambient pressure to 2.63(10) GPa and is the first reported NLC hybrid perovskite from ambient pressure. However, isostructural [(CH3)2NH2]Er(HCO2)2(C2O4) instead compresses relatively moderately along all axes before it undergoes a phase transition above 0.37(10) GPa. The differences in the mechanical properties can be interpreted from differences in host–guest interactions within these frameworks, primarily their hydrogen bond networks.
T. J. Hitchings, R. Scatena, D. R. Allan, A. B. Cairns and P. J. Saines
Chemical Communications (2024)
Link | PDF | doi: 10.1039/D3CC06208B
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H. L. B. Boström,* I. E. Collings, D. Daisenberger, C. J. Ridley, N. P. Funnell and A. B. Cairns*
Journal of the American Chemical Society 143, 3544–3554 (2021)
Link | PDF | doi: 10.1021/jacs.0c13181
Materials@Imperial
Studying Materials
Investigate materials science and apply this knowledge to engineering projects in this professionally accredited degree.
Courses Taught
Discover the courses I teach across the MEng and BEng degrees at Imperial
Strategic Projects
Updates on changes currently underway in the Department of Materials.