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Environmental Monitoring
Recent research has focussed on the use of aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition for synthesis of metal nanoparticle functionalised metal oxide nanostructures for use in sensitive and selective chemoresistive sensors. The use of this technique has advantages over other methods of integrating nanomaterials and devices of having fewer processing steps, relatively low processing temperature,and no requirement for substrate pre-treatment.
In addition this provides advantages in utilising nanomaterials on low power microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) substrates, where fabrication can be difficult using conventional techniques.
Further, by simple modification of the process a family of nanosensors can be produced allowing quantative detection of mixtures of gases via a sensor array.
This work has been featured in an Emerging Investigators issue of Chemical Communications and as a cover article in Advanced Functional Materials.
Catalysis
We are interested in applying a range of vapour deposited functionalised nanomaterials in a range of catalytic applications, tested in collaboration with partners in Chemical Engineering and at Imperial College.
Our principal interests are in extending the range of metal nanoparticles we can synthesise, investigating parameters that control the size and dispersity of these particles and also the range of support materials we can utilise.
Results are currently at an early stage but demonstrate extremely promising selectvity in test reactions and application in microcatalysis is being investigated.
Energy
Our group is working on a range of materials and applications, from photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic water splitting, CO2 utlisation via photocatalysis and battery electrodes.
In all of these applications we are interested in the application of new nanomaterials and/or new device fabrication strategies, for instance opportunities afforded by atomic layer deposition of ultra-thin conformal coatings in water splitting and in metal nanoparticle plasmonic enhancement of visible light semiconductor photocatalysis.
Recent research on the use of CVD for the deposition of composite thin films composed of bismuth oxide and platinum nanoparticles has been featured in a“Young Investigators Award” issue of Inorganica Chimica Acta.
Publications
For an up-to-date list of publications please use the following link: http://iris.ucl.ac.uk/iris/browse/profile?upi=CBLAC43#tabsProfilePub
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