Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Chemistry

Durham University; North East; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research institution in the UK is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Physical Chemistry. The role involves developing a handheld camera system for circularly polarised luminescence applications, enhancing security technology against counterfeiting. Ideal candidates will hold a PhD in a relevant field and have experience in luminescent materials and advanced optical systems. This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research.

Qualifications

• Strong background in Physical Chemistry and luminescent materials.
• Experience with circularly polarised luminescence spectroscopy.
• Ability to develop and validate complex optical systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop a hand-held CPL photographic camera system for security applications.
• Embed chiroptical separator unit into the camera system.
• Conduct time-resolved EDCC measurements using the camera system.

Education

PhD in Physical Chemistry or a related field

Job description

The Role

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Physical Chemistry.

Job Description:

Chameleon Dyes: Circularly Polarised Luminescent Photography and Lanthanide Complexes for Advanced Intelligent Security Applications.

Counterfeiting is extremely detrimental to society. Authenticating products and documents is vital to global commerce, health, and personal identity. A plethora of noticeable and concealed anti-counterfeiting measures and technologies have been developed to combat counterfeiting. Perhaps the most well-known class of anti-counterfeiting labels are luminescent security inks, which are commonly applied to banknotes and passports.

Lanthanide complexes are widely used in luminescent security inks due to their unique and robust photophysical properties, such as fingerprint-like emission profiles and long luminescent lifetimes. The proposed project will harness Circularly Polarised Luminescence (CPL), where different enantiomers produce different handedness (left or right) of light. Lanthanide complexes can be engineered to emit CPL, encoding chiral molecular fingerprints in luminescence spectra that cannot be decoded by conventional optical measurements. However, chiral CPL signals have not yet been exploited as an extra security layer in advanced security inks due to the lack of suitable handheld rapid 'ad-hoc' CPL detection technology.

CSI's combine organic short-lived (ns) green/blue emitters and chiral (CPL active) red/green (terbium/europium) long-lived (ms) emitters embedded into transparent polymer matrices. They pave the way towards multi-layered: multi-coloured, -spectral, -helicity, high spatial and temporal resolution unclonable QR code generation with an unprecedented 5 layers of 'invisible to the naked eye' security. The widespread use of 'plastic' banknotes facilitates the introduction of 'hidden in plain sight' CSI features, which, when combined with the right instrument, can facilitate ad-hoc verification further advancing security and authenticity.

In 2020, our pioneering solid-state CPL spectrometer (Nat. Commun., 2020, 11, 1676) triggered a paradigm shift in CPL spectroscopy, allowing rapid time-resolved CPL spectroscopy to be exploited for the first time. Earlier this year (Nat. Commun., 2022, 13, 553), we constructed and validated the world's first CPL Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope (CPL-LSCM), capable of simultaneously recording left- and right-handed CPL, enabling enantioselective differential chiral contrast (EDCC) imaging of emissive chiral molecules. This work has broadened the horizon of CPL research.

This project aims to adapt and embed our patented CPL chiroptical separator unit into a hand-held, solid-state CPL photographic (CPLP) camera system. Once fully developed and validated, this system can be used for 'ad-hoc' time-resolved EDCC measurements, potentially amplifying the capabilities of CPL and paving the way for novel unclonable luminescent security inks. Harnessing the benefits of CPL detection could significantly impact both scientific research and commercial applications, with broad implications across life and material sciences.