Professor Emrys Evans

Professor

Chemistry

emrys.evans@swansea.ac.uk

Fluent Welsh Speaker

Office - 418
Fourth Floor
Engineering North
Bay Campus

Available For Postgraduate Supervision

Research Links

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9092-3938

Google Scholar

ResearcherID

About

Emrys is a Royal Society University Research Fellow and Proleptic Professor at Swansea University. His work at the boundary of chemistry and physics explores the interplay between light and electron spin in molecules. Scientific achievements include developing concepts for higher efficiency organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and novel spin-optical properties of molecular quantum materials. In 2021 he was awarded the Dillwyn Medal for STEMM from the Learned Society of Wales. In 2025 he received the Materials Chemistry Early Career Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry. Emrys has been awarded >£3M funding as Principal Investigator from the Leverhulme Trust, EPSRC and Royal Society.

www.somlab.co.uk

Areas Of Expertise

Spectroscopy
Spin Chemistry
Optoelectronics
Magnetic Field Effects

Career Highlights

Research

We are exploring new frontiers of optical, magnetic and spin properties in molecular materials for optoelectronic, photonic and quantum technologies.

Publications

Research Highlights

Gillett, A., Tonnelé, C., Londi, G., Ricci, G., Catherin, M., Unson, D., Casanova, D., Castet, F., Olivier, Y., Chen, W., Zaborova, E., Evans, E., Drummond, B., Conaghan, P., Cui, L., Greenham, N., Puttisong, Y., Fages, F., Beljonne, D., & Friend, R. (2021). Spontaneous exciton dissociation enables spin state interconversion in delayed fluorescence organic semiconductors. Nature Communications, 12(1), 6640
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26689-8, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58730
Cho, H., Kimura, S., Greenham, N., Tani, Y., Matsuoka, R., Nishihara, H., Friend, R., Kusamoto, T., & Evans, E. (2022). Near‐Infrared Light‐Emitting Diodes from Organic Radicals with Charge Control. Advanced Optical Materials, 10(21), 2200628
https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202200628, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60644
Evans, E., Li, J., Storey, J., Maeda, K., Henbest, K., Dodson, C., Hore, P., Mackenzie, S., & Timmel, C. (2015). Sensitive fluorescence-based detection of magnetic field effects in photoreactions of flavins. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 17(28), 18456-18463.
https://doi.org/10.1039/c5cp00723b, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57575
Kattnig, D., Evans, E., Déjean, V., Dodson, C., Wallace, M., Mackenzie, S., Timmel, C., & Hore, P. (2016). Chemical amplification of magnetic field effects relevant to avian magnetoreception. Nature Chemistry, 8(4), 384-391.
https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2447, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57574
Evans, E., Kattnig, D., Henbest, K., Hore, P., Mackenzie, S., & Timmel, C. (2016). Sub-millitesla magnetic field effects on the recombination reaction of flavin and ascorbic acid radicals. The Journal of Chemical Physics, 145(8), 085101
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4961266, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57573
Evans, E., Olivier, Y., Puttisong, Y., Myers, W., Hele, T., Menke, S., Thomas, T., Credgington, D., Beljonne, D., Friend, R., & Greenham, N. (2018). Vibrationally Assisted Intersystem Crossing in Benchmark Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Molecules. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 9(14), 4053-4058.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b01556, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57572
Greenfield, J., Evans, E., Nuzzo, D., Antonio, M., Friend, R., & Nitschke, J. (2018). Unraveling Mechanisms of Chiral Induction in Double-Helical Metallopolymers. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 140(32), 10344-10353.
https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.8b06195, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57571
Conaghan, P., Menke, S., Romanov, A., Jones, S., Pearson, A., Evans, E., Bochmann, M., Greenham, N., Credgington, D., & Evans, E. (2018). Efficient Vacuum‐Processed Light‐Emitting Diodes Based on Carbene–Metal–Amides. Advanced Materials, 30(35), 1802285
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201802285, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57570
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.201802285
Ascherl, L., Evans, E., Hennemann, M., Nuzzo, D., Hufnagel, A., Beetz, M., Friend, R., Clark, T., Bein, T., & Auras, F. (2018). Solvatochromic covalent organic frameworks. Nature Communications, 9(1)
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06161-w, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57569
Ai, X., Evans, E., Dong, S., Gillett, A., Guo, H., Chen, Y., Hele, T., Friend, R., & Li, F. (2018). Efficient radical-based light-emitting diodes with doublet emission. Nature, 563(7732), 536-540.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0695-9, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57568

All Research

Journal Articles

Demangeat, C., Rémond, M., Hudson, J., Evans, E., Jacquemin, D., & Favereau, L. (2025). Symmetry Breaking and Hydrogen Bonding in Phthalimide Compounds Enable Efficient Room‐Temperature Circularly Polarized Phosphorescence in Solution. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 0, e202515218
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202515218, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70634
Cho, H., Gorgon, S., Londi, G., Giannini, S., Cho, C., Ghosh, P., Tonnelé, C., Casanova, D., Olivier, Y., Baikie, T., Li, F., Beljonne, D., Greenham, N., Friend, R., & Evans, E. (2024). Efficient near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes with emission from spin doublet excitons. Nature Photonics, 18, 905-912.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-024-01458-3, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66524
Gu, Q., Gorgon, S., Romanov, A., Li, F., Friend, R., & Evans, E. (2024). Fast Transfer of Triplet to Doublet Excitons from Organometallic Host to Organic Radical Semiconductors. Advanced Materials, 36(30), 2402790
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202402790, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66573
Hudson, J. & Evans, E. (2024). Radical Spin Polarization and Magnetosensitivity from Reversible Energy Transfer. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 15(15), 4130-4135.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c00656, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65937
Gorgon, S., Lv, K., Grüne, J., Drummond, B., Myers, W., Londi, G., Ricci, G., Valverde, D., Tonnelé, C., Murto, P., Romanov, A., Casanova, D., Dyakonov, V., Sperlich, A., Beljonne, D., Olivier, Y., Li, F., Friend, R., & Evans, E. (2023). Reversible spin-optical interface in luminescent organic radicals. Nature, 620(7974), 538-544.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06222-1, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa63993
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06222-1
Cho, H., Kimura, S., Greenham, N., Tani, Y., Matsuoka, R., Nishihara, H., Friend, R., Kusamoto, T., & Evans, E. (2022). Near‐Infrared Light‐Emitting Diodes from Organic Radicals with Charge Control. Advanced Optical Materials, 10(21), 2200628
https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202200628, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60644
Gillett, A., Pershin, A., Pandya, R., Feldmann, S., Sneyd, A., Alvertis, A., Evans, E., Thomas, T., Cui, L., Drummond, B., Scholes, G., Olivier, Y., Rao, A., Friend, R., & Beljonne, D. (2022). Dielectric control of reverse intersystem crossing in thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitters. Nature Materials, 21(10), 1150-1157.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-022-01321-2, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60976
Li, F., Gillett, A., Gu, Q., Ding, J., Chen, Z., Hele, T., Myers, W., Friend, R., & Evans, E. (2022). Singlet and triplet to doublet energy transfer: improving organic light-emitting diodes with radicals. Nature Communications, 13(1)
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29759-7, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60723
Gillett, A., Tonnelé, C., Londi, G., Ricci, G., Catherin, M., Unson, D., Casanova, D., Castet, F., Olivier, Y., Chen, W., Zaborova, E., Evans, E., Drummond, B., Conaghan, P., Cui, L., Greenham, N., Puttisong, Y., Fages, F., Beljonne, D., & Friend, R. (2021). Spontaneous exciton dissociation enables spin state interconversion in delayed fluorescence organic semiconductors. Nature Communications, 12(1), 6640
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26689-8, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58730
Drummond, B., Aizawa, N., Zhang, Y., Myers, W., Xiong, Y., Cooper, M., Barlow, S., Gu, Q., Weiss, L., Gillett, A., Credgington, D., Pu, Y., Marder, S., & Evans, E. (2021). Electron spin resonance resolves intermediate triplet states in delayed fluorescence. Nature Communications, 12(1)
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24612-9, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57410
Greenfield, J., Nuzzo, D., Evans, E., Senanayak, S., Schott, S., Deacon, J., Peugeot, A., Myers, W., Sirringhaus, H., Friend, R., & Nitschke, J. (2021). Electrically Induced Mixed Valence Increases the Conductivity of Copper Helical Metallopolymers. Advanced Materials, 33(24), 2100403
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202100403, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57562
Hudson, J., Hele, T., & Evans, E. (2021). Efficient light-emitting diodes from organic radicals with doublet emission. Journal of Applied Physics, 129(18), 180901
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0047636, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa56659
Abdurahman, A., Hele, T., Gu, Q., Zhang, J., Peng, Q., Zhang, M., Friend, R., Li, F., & Evans, E. (2020). Understanding the luminescent nature of organic radicals for efficient doublet emitters and pure-red light-emitting diodes. Nature Materials, 19(11), 1224-1229.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-020-0705-9, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57563
Cui, L., Gillett, A., Zhang, S., Ye, H., Liu, Y., Chen, X., Lin, Z., Evans, E., Myers, W., Ronson, T., Nakanotani, H., Reineke, S., Bredas, J., Adachi, C., & Friend, R. (2020). Fast spin-flip enables efficient and stable organic electroluminescence from charge-transfer states. Nature Photonics, 14(10), 636-642.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-020-0668-z, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57564
Ascherl, L., Evans, E., Gorman, J., Orsborne, S., Bessinger, D., Bein, T., Friend, R., & Auras, F. (2019). Perylene-Based Covalent Organic Frameworks for Acid Vapor Sensing. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 141(39), 15693-15699.
https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.9b08079, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57565
Guo, H., Peng, Q., Chen, X., Gu, Q., Dong, S., Evans, E., Gillett, A., Ai, X., Zhang, M., Credgington, D., Coropceanu, V., Friend, R., Brédas, J., & Li, F. (2019). High stability and luminescence efficiency in donor–acceptor neutral radicals not following the Aufbau principle. Nature Materials, 18(9), 977-984.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-019-0433-1, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57566
Montanaro, S., Gillett, A., Feldmann, S., Evans, E., Plasser, F., Friend, R., & Wright, I. (2019). Red-shifted delayed fluorescence at the expense of photoluminescence quantum efficiency – an intramolecular charge-transfer molecule based on a benzodithiophene-4,8-dione acceptor. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 21(20), 10580-10586.
https://doi.org/10.1039/c9cp02186h, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57567
Ai, X., Evans, E., Dong, S., Gillett, A., Guo, H., Chen, Y., Hele, T., Friend, R., & Li, F. (2018). Efficient radical-based light-emitting diodes with doublet emission. Nature, 563(7732), 536-540.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0695-9, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57568
Ascherl, L., Evans, E., Hennemann, M., Nuzzo, D., Hufnagel, A., Beetz, M., Friend, R., Clark, T., Bein, T., & Auras, F. (2018). Solvatochromic covalent organic frameworks. Nature Communications, 9(1)
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06161-w, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57569
Greenfield, J., Evans, E., Nuzzo, D., Antonio, M., Friend, R., & Nitschke, J. (2018). Unraveling Mechanisms of Chiral Induction in Double-Helical Metallopolymers. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 140(32), 10344-10353.
https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.8b06195, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57571
Conaghan, P., Menke, S., Romanov, A., Jones, S., Pearson, A., Evans, E., Bochmann, M., Greenham, N., Credgington, D., & Evans, E. (2018). Efficient Vacuum‐Processed Light‐Emitting Diodes Based on Carbene–Metal–Amides. Advanced Materials, 30(35), 1802285
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201802285, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57570
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.201802285
Evans, E., Olivier, Y., Puttisong, Y., Myers, W., Hele, T., Menke, S., Thomas, T., Credgington, D., Beljonne, D., Friend, R., & Greenham, N. (2018). Vibrationally Assisted Intersystem Crossing in Benchmark Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Molecules. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 9(14), 4053-4058.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b01556, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57572
Evans, E., Kattnig, D., Henbest, K., Hore, P., Mackenzie, S., & Timmel, C. (2016). Sub-millitesla magnetic field effects on the recombination reaction of flavin and ascorbic acid radicals. The Journal of Chemical Physics, 145(8), 085101
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4961266, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57573
Kattnig, D., Evans, E., Déjean, V., Dodson, C., Wallace, M., Mackenzie, S., Timmel, C., & Hore, P. (2016). Chemical amplification of magnetic field effects relevant to avian magnetoreception. Nature Chemistry, 8(4), 384-391.
https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2447, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57574
Evans, E., Li, J., Storey, J., Maeda, K., Henbest, K., Dodson, C., Hore, P., Mackenzie, S., & Timmel, C. (2015). Sensitive fluorescence-based detection of magnetic field effects in photoreactions of flavins. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 17(28), 18456-18463.
https://doi.org/10.1039/c5cp00723b, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57575

Supervision

Untitled (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Prof Gil Alexandrowicz
Spin dynamics of chiral molecular organic semiconductors (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr James Ryan
Effects of Electron Spin Polarisation on Magneto-Optical Properties (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Prof Paul Meredith
Towards Organic Quantum Memristors (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr James Ryan
Magnetic-Spin-Optical Dynamics in Molecular Materials (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Martin Gill
Radical Photon-Spin Interface in Materials and Devices (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Prof Matthew Davies
DESIGN OF RADICAL MATERIALS AND SYSTEMS TOWARDS OPTO-SPINTRONICS (awarded 2025)

PhD

Other supervisor: Prof Paul Meredith

Taught Modules

CH-127 Chemical Practice

This module will introduce students to the three broad employment areas for chemistry: research, teaching or industrial positions. The lecture portion will cover fundamental aspects of being a professional chemist including safety, report writing, project management, and teaching skills. Students will attend research seminars and workshops, industrial field trips, and supervise school pupils in the laboratory.
CH-237 Further Physical Chemistry

This module will advance students¿ studies in Physical Chemistry. The module provides a more in-depth look at thermodynamics from both the classical and molecular viewpoints, the thermodynamics of mixing and chemical equilibrium. Electrochemistry is covered from a fundamental and applied view and serves is used to further discuss thermodynamics, non-ideal behaviour and equilibrium. A deeper look at kinetics is then included that builds on prior knowledge and highlights the importance of kinetics in chemical reactions and processes. The module will build on existing understanding, further developing mathematical skills to explore the material covered in this module. In the laboratory students will undertake more advanced investigative experiments to explore the physical concepts. Material, techniques and skills covered in the course of this module will build on and therefore require understanding of all prior modules.
CH-342 Advanced Topics in Physical, Instrumental and Analytical Chemistry

This module completes the core aspects of Physical Chemistry for the undergraduate programme, applying existing understanding of thermodynamics and quantum mechanics to connect the quantum world with the observable world in Statistical Mechanics and relating quantum understanding to the application of light in chemical reactions. Laboratory experiments will be fully investigative, with students carrying out advanced `mini projects¿ to initiate and guide students in elementary research skills in preparation for their research projects. Material, techniques and skills covered in the course of this module will require understanding of prior modules.
CH-344 Chemistry Project

3rd year projects are the opportunity to bring all you've learnt during your degree together and apply that knowledge to solve a problem. In Swansea these projects can be embedded in active research groups across the colleges of science, engineering or medicine, allowing you to build a network and experience in your chosen specialism within the chemical sciences. These projects are your opportunity to demonstrate to employers that you have a full understanding of your course and are able to direct your own studies, manage an independent research project and effectively communicate your findings. This selection suggests an interest in a project embedded within a research group in engineering, focusing on materials chemistry or chemical engineering
CH-409 MChem Research Project

MChem projects are the defining feature of the integrated masters with a chance to contribute research work of potentially publishable standard to an active research group within the University. In Swansea these projects can be embedded in active research groups across the Faculty of Science and Engineering or the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science, allowing you to build a network and experience in your chosen specialism within the chemical sciences. These projects are an excellent way of managing the transition on to your next destination after undergraduate study, whether that is a postgraduate research studentship or into employment. The skills developed in the MChem projects demonstrate the ability to successfully deliver all aspects of a 60 credit research project and on exit you will have demonstrated the academic equivalence and begun developing the other skills required for entry into professional development schemes leading to chartership. This selection suggests an interest in a project embedded within a research group in science, focusing on straight chemistry, or interacting and collaborating with another department such as bioscience, geography, physics, maths or computer science.

Professor Emrys Evans

Email address

Welsh language proficiency

LinkedIn Account

Research Links

About

Areas Of Expertise

Career Highlights

Publications

Research Highlights

All Research

Journal Articles

Supervision

Untitled (current)

Spin dynamics of chiral molecular organic semiconductors (current)

Effects of Electron Spin Polarisation on Magneto-Optical Properties (current)

Towards Organic Quantum Memristors (current)

Magnetic-Spin-Optical Dynamics in Molecular Materials (current)

Radical Photon-Spin Interface in Materials and Devices (current)

DESIGN OF RADICAL MATERIALS AND SYSTEMS TOWARDS OPTO-SPINTRONICS (awarded 2025)

Taught Modules

CH-127 Chemical Practice

CH-237 Further Physical Chemistry

CH-342 Advanced Topics in Physical, Instrumental and Analytical Chemistry

CH-344 Chemistry Project

CH-409 MChem Research Project