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Associate Professor Christopher D Ling

Associate Professor

Contact Details

School of Chemistry, Building F11
The University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
Email address: chris.ling@sydney.edu.au
Telephone: +61 (2) 9351-4780
Fax: +61 (2) 9351-3329
Home Page:http://sydney.edu.au/science/chemistry/~ling_c/

Career Highlights/History

  • BSc, University of Melbourne (1992–1994)
  • BSc(Hons 1), Australian National University (1995)
  • PhD, Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University (1996–1999)
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, USA (1999–2001)
  • Physicist, Diffraction Group, Institut Laue-Langevin, France (2001–2004)
  • Lecturer, School of Chemistry, University of Sydney (2004–2007)
  • Senior Lecturer, School of Chemistry, University of Sydney (2008–2011)
  • Associate Professor, School of Chemistry, University of Sydney (2012-)

Achievements/Awards

Research Interest

  • Solid-state oxide chemistry
  • Magnetism
  • Ionic conductivity
  • Neutron scattering
  • Phase transitions
  • Modulated structures

Research

The goal of our research is the discovery, characterisation and optimisation of functional solid-state materials. We take a “crystal chemical” approach whereby we try to relate the crystal structure of a material to its chemical composition on the one hand, and to its physical properties on the other. Structural characterisation therefore plays a central role, and we make particularly heavy use of neutron, synchrotron X-ray and electron diffraction as well as complementary techniques such as spectroscopy and high-resolution electron microscopy. Structural information is used to guide our exploratory synthetic studies and to interpret our physical property measurements.

Most of our current projects fall into one of the following categories: solid-state ionic conductors for fuel cell and battery applications; frustrated and low-dimensional magnetism; diffuse scattering and nanoscale structure in functional materials such as ferroelectrics; naturally layered multi-functional materials, especially magnetoresistors and multiferroics; and the crystallography and physical properties (such as thermoelectricity or non-linear optics) of modulated structures in up to six-dimensional superspace.

We have a comprehensive set of facilities for materials synthesis and characterisation, including Australia’s first IR floating-zone image furnace for the synthesis of centimetre-scale single crystals of high melting-point (up to 2200 ºC) oxides, nitrides and intermetallics. In 2008 we acquired a new X-ray powder diffractometer with excellent in situ (controlled temperature and atmosphere) capabilities and a Physical Properties Measurement System, both of which are dedicated to materials chemistry research in the School.

At ANSTO we have access to a wide range of physical property characterisation facilities in the Institute for Materials Engineering. Most significantly, we make extensive use of the neutron scattering facilities at the new OPAL research reactor, notably: the single-crystal quasi-Laue diffractometer KOALA; the powder diffractometers WOMBAT and ECHIDNA; and the inelastic scattering instruments TAIPAN, SIKA and PELICAN.

The ready availability of these world class facilities in Sydney, along with the X-ray scattering facilities at the new Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne, allows us to pursue almost any problem in modern materials science.

Publications (2009 to 2012)

(cf. ResearcherID: B-2228-2009)

  1. Miiller, W; Auckett, J; Avdeev, M and Ling, CD. Coexistence of spin glass and antiferromagnetic orders in Ba3Fe2.15W0.85O8.72. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 24 (20), 206004, 2012. DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/24/20/206004

  2. Tan, T-Y; Kennedy, BJ; Zhou, Q; Ling, CD; Miiller, W; Howard, CJ; Carpenter, MA and Knight, KS. Impact of Jahn-Teller active Mn3+ on strain effects and phase transitions in Sr0.65Pr0.35MnO3. Physical Review B, 85 (10), 104107, 2012. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.85.104107

  3. Miiller, W; Avdeev, M; Zhou, Q; Kennedy, BJ; Sharma, N; Kutteh, R; Kearley, GJ; Schmid, S; Knight, KS; Blanchard, PER and Ling, CD. Giant magnetoelastic effect at the opening of a spin-gap in Ba3sBilr2O9. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 134 (6), 3265-3270, 2012. DOI: 10.1021/ja211517h

  4. Auckett, J; Studer, AJ; Sharma, N and Ling, CD. Floating-zone growth of Sr2Fe205 and observation of a chain-ordered superstructure by single-crystal neutron diffraction. Solid State Ionics, in press, available online. DOI: 10.1016/j.ssi.2012.01.005

  5. Miiler, W; Avdeev, M; Zhou, Q; Kennedy, BJ; Sharma, N; Kutteh, R; Kearley, GJ; Schmid, SA; Knight, KS and Ling, CD. Giant magnetoelastic effect at the opening of a spin gap in Ba3BiIr209. Journal of the American Chemical Society, in press, available online. DOI: 10.1021/ja211517h

  6. Miiller, W; Avdeev, M; Zhou, Q; Studer, AJ; Kennedy, BJ; Kearley, GJ and Ling, CD. Spin-gap opening accompanied by a strong magnetoelastic response in the S = 1 magnetic dimer system Ba3BiRu2O9. Physical Review B, 84 (22), 220406, 2011. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.84.220406


  7. Dunstan, MT; Southon, PD; Kepert, CJ; Hester, J; Kimpton, JA and Ling, CD. Phase diagram, chemical stability and physical properties of the solid-solution Ba4Nb2-xTaxO9. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 184 (10), 2648-2654, 2011. DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2011.07.036
  8. Clements, R; Hester, JR; Kennedy, BJ; Ling, CD and Stampfl, APJ. The fluorite-pyrochlore transformation of Ho2-yNdyZr2O7. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 184 (8), 2108-2113, 2011. DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2011.05.054

  9. Ling, CD and Bridgeman, AJ. Quantitative analysis in the general chemistry laboratory: Training students to analyze individual results in the context of collective data. Journal of Chemical Education, 88 (7), 979-982, 2011. DOI: 10.1021/ed1011458

  10. Danilkin, SA; Avdeev, M; Sakuma, T; Macquart, R and Ling, CD. Neutron diffraction study of diffuse scattering in Cu2-dSe superionic compounds. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 509 (18), 5460-5465, 2011. DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2011.02.101

  11. Miiller, W; Christensen, M; Khan, A; Sharma, N; Macquart, R; Avdeev, M; McIntyre, GJ; Piltz, RO and Ling, CD. YCa3(VO)3(BO3)4: A kagomé compound based on vanadium(III) with a highly frustrated ground state. Chemistry of Materials, 23 (5), 1315-1322, 2011. DOI: 10.1021/cm1034003

  12. Webster, NAS; Hartlieb, KJ; Saines, PJ; Ling, CD and Lincoln, FJ. New quenched-in fluorite-type materials in the Bi2O3-La2O3-PbO system: Synthesis and complex phase behaviour up to 750oC. Materials Research Bulletin, 46 (4), 538-542, 2011. DOI: 10.1016/j.materresbull.2010.12.035

  13. Danilkin, SA; Avdeev, M; Sakuma, T; Macquart, R; Ling, CD; Rusina, M and Izaola, Z. Neutron scattering study of short-rang correlations and ionic diffusion in copper selenide. Ionics, 17 (1), 75-80, 2011. DOI: 10.1007/s11581-010-0489-z

  14. Miiller, W; Causeret, L and Ling, CD. Frustrated magnetism and local structural disorder in pyrochlore-type Bi1.89Fe1.16Nb0.95O6.95. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 22 (48), 486004 (7pp), 2010. DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/22/48/486004

  15. Sharma, N; Sohnel, T; McIntyre, GJ; Piltz, R and Ling, CD. Structure of BiRe2O6 re-investigated using single-crystal neutron Laue diffraction. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 251 (1), 012029 (4pp), 2010. DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/251/1/012028

  16. Kimber, SAJ; Ling, CD; Morris, DJP; Chemseddine, A; Henry, PF and Argyriou, DN. Interlayer tuning of electronic and magnetic properties in honeycomb ordered Ag3LiRu2O6. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 20 (37), 8021-8025, 2010. DOI; 10.1039/c0jm00678e

  17. Kuang, X; Li, Y; Ling, CD; Withers, RL and Evans, IR. Oxide ion conductivity, phase transitions, and phase separation in fluorite-based Bi38-xMo7+xO78+1.5x. Chem. Mater., 22 (15), 4484-4494, 2010. DOI: 10.1021/cm101324n

  18. Mulders, AM; Lawrence, SM; Princep, AJ; Staub, U; Bodenthin, Y; Garcia-Fernandez, M; Garganourakis, M; Hester, J; Macquart, R and Ling, CD. Circularly polarized soft x-ray diffraction study of helical magnetism in hexaferrite. Physical Review B, 81 (9), 092405 (pp1-4), 2010. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.81.092405

  19. Sharma, N; Macquart, RB; Avdeev, M; Christensen, M; McIntyre, GJ; Chen, Y-S and Ling, CD. Re-investigation of the structure and crystal chemistry of the Bi2O3–W2O6 ‘type (lb)’ solid solution using single-crystal neutron and synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Acta Cryst., B66, 165-172, 2010. DOI: 10.1107/S0108768110001874

  20. Ling, CD; Kennedy, BJ; Zhou, Q; Spencer, JR and Avdeev, M. Synthesis, structures, and phase transitions of barium bismuth iridium oxide perovskites Ba2BiIrO6 and Ba3BiIr2O9. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 183 (3), 727-735, 2010. DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2010.01.017 Corrigendum: DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2010.08.032

  21. Ling, CD; Avdeev, M; Kharton, VV; Yaremchenko, AA; Macquart, RB and Hoelzel, M. Structures, phase transitions, hydration, and ionic conductivity of Ba4Ta2O9. Chem. Mater., 22 (2), 532-540, 2010. DOI: 10.1021/cm903170t

  22. Sharma, N; Withers, RL; Knight, K and Ling, CD. Structure, crystal chemistry, and thermal evolution of the δ-Bi2O3-related phase Bi9ReO17. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 182 (9) 2468-2474, 2009. DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2009.07.008

  23. Ling, CD; Avdeev, M; Kutteh, R; Kharton, VV; Yaremchenko, AA; Fialkova, S; Sharma, N; Macquart, RB; Hoelzel, M and Gutmann, M. Structures, phase transitions, hydration and ionic conductivity of Ba4Nb2O9. Chemistry of Materials, 21, 3853–3864 2009. DOI: 10.1021/cm901644e

  24. Sharma, N; Macquart, RB; Christensen, M; Avdeev, M; Chen, Y-S and Ling, CD. Structure and crystal chemistry of fluorite-related Bi38Mo7O78 from single crystal X-ray diffraction and ab initio calculations. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 182, 1312–1318 (2009). DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2009.02.030

  25. Juarez-Arellano, EA; Friedrich, A; Wilson, DJ; Wiehl, L; Morgenroth, W; Winkler, B; Avdeev, M; Macquart, RB and Ling, CD. Single-crystal structure of HoBaCo4O7 at ambient conditions, at low temperature, and at high pressure. Physical Review B, 79, 064109 (10 pp), 2009. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.79.064109

  26. Ling, CD; Rowda, B; Avdeev, M and Pullar, R. Structures, phase transitions and microwave dielectric properties of the 6H perovskites Ba3BSb2O9, B = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 182, 479–483, 2009. DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2008.11.026