Dr Abbie McLaughlin

Dr Abbie McLaughlin The University of Aberdeen School of Natural & Computing Sciences Dr Abbie McLaughlin Senior Lecturer work +44 (0)1224 272924 work fax 01224 272921 pref Meston Room G24A

Lecturer

BSc (Durham), PhD (Cambridge)

Dr Abbie McLaughlin

Personal Details

Telephone: +44 (0)1224 272924
Fax: 01224 272921
Email: a.c.mclaughlin@abdn.ac.uk
Address: Meston Room G24A
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Research Interests

Solid state materials are of fundamental importance due to the plethora of exciting physical properties that have been detected and can be used in technological applications. Two important properties which have been observed in solid state materials are high temperature superconductivity in cuprates such as YBa2Cu3O7 and colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) in manganites such as La1-xSrxMnO3. A superconductor exhibits zero electrical resistance below a critical temperature, Tc, and technological applications include high field superconducting magnets for magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear magnetic resonance. A CMR material exhibits a large increase in electronic conductivity upon application of a magnetic field so that the magnetoresistance, MR, is defined as MR = ((rH-r0)/r0). Magnetoresistant materials are of technological importance and are applied in magnetoresistive sensors and spintronic devices in which electron spins are used to process information. Our research is focussed on using chemical substitutions to tune magnetoresistant and superconducting properties as well as the synthesis of new materials with fascinating electronic and magnetic properties. Both X-ray and Neutron diffraction (at facilities such as ISIS, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, UK and the ESRF and ILL, Grenoble, France) are used in order to correlate the structure-property relationships in the synthesised compounds.


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Current Research

Superconductivity and CMR in Metallocuprates

 We have recently synthesised a new ruthenocuprate RuSr2Nd1.8-xCexY0.2Cu2O10-d. These new materials are extraordinary as they exhibit superconductivity for x < 0.7 (Tc =35 K) and large negative magnetoresistance (MR) for x = 0.7 below ~ 140 K. The MR appears to originate from the strong antiferromagnetism in the copper oxide layers and at 4 K negative magnetoresistance equal to -49 % is observed comparable to those (at higher temperatures) in spin-polarised conductors such as colossal magnetoresistant manganese oxide perovskites. This is the first time that large bulk negative magnetoresistance has been observed in a cuprate which also becomes superconducting upon oxidation of the copper ion. Further interesting results are obtained from chemical doping studies of RuSr2Nd2-x-yCexYyCu2O10-d. MR7T(5K) shows a robust correlation with the copper oxidation state and falls rapidly above a copper oxidation state of 2.04, which may signify the onset of d-wave pairing correlations between the Cu holes, eventually leading to superconductivity for a copper oxidation state > 2.06. The magnetotransport is also very sensitive to lattice effects. In a series of RuSr2R1.1Ce0.9Cu2O10-d samples where the doping level is constant,  the high field MR does not correlate with the paramagnetic moment of the R cations, but shows an unprecedented crossover from –MR to +MR as A>, the mean A site (R1.1Ce0.9) cation radius decreases. This size effect is further evidenced from studies of Ru1-xTaxSr2Nd0.95Y0.15Ce0.9Cu2O10 materials; MR at 9 Tesla and 4 K increases from -28% to -49% as x increases from 0 – 0.2 which further expands the unit cell. We are currently performing further chemical substitutions on this ruthenocuprate material as well as attempting to synthesise new metallocuprates such as CoSr2Nd2-xCexCu2O9 to evidence how different magnetic layers sandwiched between the CuO2 planes can effect the MR and superconducting properties.

 

Spin, Charge and Lattice Coupling in Mo5+ Double Perovskites

We have recently discovered that a simultaneous Jahn-Teller distortion and antiferromagnetic order arises in the double perovskite Ba2SmMoO6. The Neel temperature of this material is anomalously high (TN = 130 K) which suggests that suggest that the orbital order precipitates the antiferromagnetic order. The crystal structure distorts from tetragonal (space group I4/m) to triclinic (space group I-1) as the temperature is reduced below 353 K. A  Jahn-Teller distortion is observed at TN so that a tetragonal elongation of the MoO6 octahedra is observed. This is the first time that a Jahn-Teller distortion has been observed in a Mo5+ oxide and suggests that the synthesis of new Mo5+ oxides with the same spin orbital and lattice coupling could result in the observation of exotic magnetic and electronic properties. We are currently attempting the synthesis of new 2-dimensional Mo5+ oxides.


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Research Grants

Current sources of funding include EPSRC (Colossal magnetoresistance in cuprates?) and the Royal Society (Novel colossal magnetoresistant manganese oxypnictides).


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Teaching Responsibilities

Dr Mclaughlin teaches the following courses:

  • CM1510 Thermodynamics and equilibrium
  • CM2007 Solids
  • PC2001 Optical and magnetic Properties
  • CM4509 Honours chemistry: Lanthanides and actidnides
  • CM5020 Magnets, metals and superconductors 


 


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Admin Responsibilities

Dr Mclaughlin is currently third year co-ordinator and an adviser of studies.


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Publications

Contributions to Journals

Articles

  • Cheyne, RW., Trembleau, LAC., McLaughlin, A. & Smith, TAD. (2011). 'Changes in 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose incorporation, hexokinase activity and lactate production by breast cancer cells responding to treatment with the anti-HER-2 antibody trastuzumab'. Nuclear Medicine and Biology, vol 38, no. 3, pp. 339-346.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2010.09.005
    [Online] AURA: acm_paper.pdf
  • Cheyne, RW., Smith, TAD., Trembleau, LAC. & McLaughlin, A. (2011). 'Synthesis and characterisation of ultrasmall biologically compatible TiO2 nanoparticles'. Nanoscale Research Letters, vol 6, pp. 423.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-6-423
    [Online] AURA: ACM_paper.pdf
  • Emery, N., Wildman, EJ., Skakle, JMS., McLaughlin, A., Smith, RI. & Fitch, AN. (2011). 'Variable temperature study of the crystal and magnetic structures of the giant magnetoresistant materials LMnAsO (L=La, Nd)'. Physical Review B Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, vol 83, no. 14.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.83.144429
    [Online] AURA: ACM_paper1.pdf
  • McLaughlin, A., de Vries, MA. & Bos, JG. (2010). 'Persistence of the valence bond glass state in the double perovskites Ba2-xSrxYMoO6'. Physical Review B Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, vol 82, no. 9.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.82.094424
    [Online] AURA: ACM_Paper.pdf
  • Emery, N., Wildman, EJ., Skakle, JMS., Giriat, G., Smith, RI. & McLaughlin, A. (2010). 'Giant magnetoresistance in oxypnictides (La,Nd)OMnAs'. Chemical Communications, vol 46, no. 36, pp. 6777-6779.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1039/c0cc01380c
  • de Vries, MA., McLaughlin, A. & Bos, JG. (2010). 'Valence Bond Glass on an fcc Lattice in the Double Perovskite Ba2YMoO6'. Physical Review Letters, vol 104, no. 17.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.177202
    [Online] AURA: ACM_paper_2.pdf
  • Tan, H., Lebedev, OI., McLaughlin, A. & Van Tendeloo, G. (2010). 'The superstructure and superconductivity of Ru1222 based RuSr2Gd2-x-yYyCexCu2O10-delta compounds'. Superconductor Science & Technology, vol 23, no. 11.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1088/0953-2048/23/11/115013
  • Yeates, RM., Murdoch, MJ., Southon, PD., McLaughlin, A., Howe, RF., Bonino, F., Bordiga, S. & Damin, A. (2009). 'AM-6: a microporous one-dimensional ferromagnet'. Dalton Transactions, no. 38, pp. 8025-8032.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1039/b908099f
  • McLaughlin, A., Felner, I. & Awana, VPS. (2008). 'Neutron diffraction study of the magnetic structure of the superconducting Ru-1222-type ruthenocuprate RuSr2Y1.5Ce0.5Cu2O10-d: Evidence for long-range antiferromagnetic order'. Physical Review B Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, vol 78, no. 9.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.78.094501
  • McLaughlin, A., Begg, L., McCue, AJ. & Attfield, JP. (2007). 'Enhancement of Large Magnetoresistances in Ruthenocuprates by Ta substitution'. Chemical Communications, vol 2007, no. 22, pp. 2273-2274.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1039/B617872C
  • McLaughlin, A., Sher, F., Kimber, SAJ. & Attfield, JP. (2007). 'Induced antiferromagnetism and large magnetoresistance in RuSr2(Nd,Y,Ce)2Cu2O10-d ruthenocuprates'. Physical Review B Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, vol 76, no. 9.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1103/PHYSREVB.76.094514
  • McLaughlin, A. & Attfield, JP. (2007). 'A Variable Field Study of the Magnetoresistive Ruthenocuprate RuSr2Nd0.9Y0.2Ce0.9Cu2O10-d'. Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, vol 310, pp. 1961-1962.
  • Mclaughlin, AC., Sher, F., Kimber, SAJ. & Attfield, JP. (2007). 'Induced antiferromagnetism and large magnetoresistance in RuSr2(Nd,Y,Ce)(2)Cu2O10-delta ruthenocuprates'. Physical Review B Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, vol 76, no. 9.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.76.094514
  • McLaughlin, A. (2006). 'Magnetic and structural studies of the double perovskites Ba2REMoO6'. Solid State Communications, vol 137, pp. 354-357.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1016/j.ssc.2005.12.011
  • McLaughlin, A., Begg, L., Harrow, C., Kimber, SAJ., Sher, F. & Attfield, JP. (2006). 'Chemical tuning of positive and negative magnetoresistances and superconductivity in 1222-type ruthenocuprates'. Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol 128, pp. 12364-12365.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1021/JA064778H
  • Lebedev, OI., Van Tendeloo, G., Attfield, JP. & McLaughlin, A. (2006). 'Defect structure of ferromagnetic superconducting RuSr2GdCu2O8'. Physical Review B Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, vol 73, no. 22.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.73.224524
  • Ritchie, LK., McLaughlin, A. & Harrison, WTA. (2006). 'Ethylenediamine manganese (II) selenite, (H2NCH2CH2NH2)0.5MnSeO3: a new hybrid inorganic/organic network containing MnO5N octahedra and SeO3 pyramids'. Inorganic Chemistry Communications, vol 9, pp. 785-787.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1016/j.inoche.2006.05.004
  • Kimber, SAJ., McLaughlin, A. & Attfield, JP. (2006). 'High pressure neutron diffraction study of the magnetoresistive 1222-type ruthenocuprate, RuSr2Nd0.9Y0.2Ce0.9Cu2O10'. Materials Research Bulletin, vol 41, pp. 1001-1007.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1016/j.materresbull.2006.01.009
  • McLaughlin, A., Sher, F. & Attfield, JP. (2005). 'Negative lattice expansion from the superconductivity-antiferromagnetism crossover in ruthenium copper oxides'. Nature, vol 436, pp. 829-832.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1038/nature03828
  • McLaughlin, A., Morrice, D. & Sher, F. (2005). 'Doping studies of the magnetic cobaltocuprate CoSr2Y2-xCexCu2O9'. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, vol 178, pp. 2274-2281.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2005.05.002
  • Attfield, JP., Berry, FJ., Bland, J., McLaughlin, A. & Thomas, MF. (2004). 'Magnetic interactions on the tin sites in the tin-doped ferromagnetic superconductor Ru1-xSnxSr2GdCu2O8'. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, vol 16, pp. 955-961.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/16/6/022
  • McLaughlin, A., Attfield, JP., Liu, RS., Jang, L-Y & Zhou, WZ. (2004). 'Studies of microstructure and ruthenium valence in the ruthenocuprates Pb2RuSr2Cu2O8Cl and (Ru, M)Sr2GdCu2O8 (M = Sn, Nb)'. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, vol 177, pp. 834-838.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2003.09.016
  • McLaughlin, A., Attfield, JP., Asaf, U. & Felner, I. (2003). 'Chemical control of hole-doped superconductivity and magnetism in Gd2-xCexRuSr2Cu2O10-delta'. Physical Review B Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, vol 68, no. 1, pp. 14503-14509.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.68.014503
  • McCrone, JE., Tallon, JL., Cooper, JR., MacLaughlin, AC., Attfield, JP., Bernhard, C. & McLaughlin, A. (2003). 'Magnetotransport properties of doped RuSr2GdCu2O8'. Physical Review B Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, vol 68, no. 6, pp. -.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.68.064514
  • McLaughlin, A., Liu, X., De Miranda, MP., McInnes, AJL., Kilner, CA. & Halcrow, MA. (2002). 'A Cyclic Hexacopper (II) fluoro Complex that Encapsulates Two Flouride Anions'. Chemical Communications, pp. 2978-2979.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1039/b207923m
  • McLaughlin, A., McAllister, JA., Stout, LD. & Attfield, JP. (2002). 'Structure and magnetism of the layered ruthenocuprate Pb2RuSr2Cu2O8Cl'. Physical Review B Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, vol 65, no. 17, pp. 172506-172509.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.65.172506
  • McLaughlin, A., Mcallister, JA., Stout, LD. & Attfield, JP. (2002). 'The Synthesis, Structure and Magnetic Properties of Pb2RuSr2Cu2O8Cl, a New Layered Ruthenocuprate'. Solid State Sciences, vol 4, pp. 431-436.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1016/S1293-2558(02)01271-2
  • McLaughlin, A. & Attfield, JP. (2002). 'The synthesis, structure and physical properties of the layered ruthenocuprates RuSr2GdCu2O8 and Pb2Sr2Cu2RuO8Cl'. Ruthenate and Rutheno-Cuprate Materials, vol 603, pp. 160-175.
  • McLaughlin, A., Janowitz, V., Mcallister, JA. & Attfield, JP. (2001). 'Doping Studies of the Ferromagnetic Superconductor RuSr2GdCu2O8'. Journal of Materials Chemistry, vol 11, pp. 173-178.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1039/b002952l
  • Wright, JP., McLaughlin, A. & Attfield, JP. (2000). 'Partial frustration of magnetic order in synthetic angelellite Fe4As2O11'. Journal of the Chemical Society, Dalton Transactions, no. 20, pp. 3663-3668.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1039/B005350N
  • McLaughlin, A., Janowitz, V., McAllister, JA. & Attfield, JP. (2000). 'Chemical tuning of ferromagnetism and superconductivity in RuSr2GdCu2O8'. Chemical Communications, no. 14, pp. 1331-1332.
  • McLaughlin, A., Attfield, JP. & Tallon, JL. (2000). 'A variable temperature structural study of the ferromagnetic superconductor RuSr2GdCu2O8'. International Journal of Inorganic Materials, vol 2, no. 1, pp. 95-99.
  • McLaughlin, A. & Attfield, JP. (1999). 'Tuning of the ferromagnetic and superconducting transitions by tin-doping in RuSr2GdCu2O8'. Physical Review B Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, vol 60, no. 21, pp. 14605-14608.
  • McLaughlin, A., Zhou, W., Attfield, JP., Fitch, AN. & Tallon, JL. (1999). 'Structure and microstructure of the ferromagnetic superconductor RuSr2GdCu2O8'. Physical Review B Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, vol 60, no. 10, pp. 7512-7516.

Patents

  • Smith, TAD., Trembleau, LAC., McLaughlin, A. & Simpson, M. (2010). 'Materials and methods for medical imaging'. GB2467494 (A).

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