Academic staff
Professor Steven Dunn
dunns4@lsbu.ac.uk
Chemical and Energy Engineering
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3795-5559 (unauthenticated)
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I have a research background in the processing of functional ceramics and hybrid systems and am now Head of Chemical and Energy Engineering while also being Professor of Materials Engineering. My first degree was in Chemistry from Edinburgh which was followed by a PhD in Materials Science at Cambridge in 2001.
Since then I have published over 125 publications, a high proportion in high-impact journals such as Advanced Materials and Energy and Environmental Science, supervised 21 PhD students and over 200 3rd year project and MSc students.
My research interests include developing fundamental understanding of carrier lifetime enhancement in functional metal oxide systems. We are currently working on processing of low Currie temperature ferroelectric materials, modifying the surface of ferroelectric materials with oxygen and hydrogen evolution catalysts as well as novel ways to form carbonaceous nanostructured islands.
My work has been funded by RCUK, InnovateUK and industrial collaborators, such as Samsung and Bosch with a total career research income that exceeds £10m since 2003. Prior to joining LSBU I spent some time as Head of Materials in an industrial environment where we were developing powder and materials processing for capacitors, super-capacitors and batteries. In 2013 i was awarded the ‘researcher of the year’ for Science and Engineering at Queen Mary and is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining with a CEng.
I lead the Energy Materials Engineering research group at LSBU with interests in novel processing or applications of ceramic materials for energy storage and conversion technologies.
The areas of research that most excite me are those that find new applications for functional materials and he has a special interest in sustainable use of materials for energy storage and generation. Most recently collaborations with Professor Chris Bowen (Uni Bath) and Dr Haixue Yan (QMUL) have led to some fascinating discoveries regarding the use of pyroelectric materials for water splitting.
These systems can harness low grade ambient waste heat to form hydrogen and oxygen from water. These early results are leading to a variety of new discoveries in the way that functional materials are viewed and the range of applications that they can be used in. In addition to the development of functional metal oxides I have established expertise in a wide variety of materials processing techniques to produce materials appropriate for energy storage in capacitors and batteries.
See my publications at Google Scholar ~ https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=jyUAvyMAAAAJ&hl=en
Postgraduate Research Supervision
Current
| Ms Abinaya Krishnamurthy | Harnessing Asymmetry: Engineering Catalytic Heterostructures for Water Splitting and beyond | PhD |
| Mr Uthman Kayode Alli | Water-Assisted Synthesis of Next Generation 2D Materials for Energy Storage | PhD |
| Mr Guru Prasanna Ganapathi Subramaniam | New hybrid materials for pyroelectric energy harvesting | PhD |
| Mr Mishal Alfadhly | Acoustic analysis technology to detect pressurized nuclear waste storage containers | PhD |
| Mr Keshavmurthy Subramanian Srikanth | Self-powered sensors for railway analysis | PhD |
Awarded in the last 5 years
| Miss Sanaa Hafeez | Computational Analysis of Renewable Fuels Synthesis in Intensified Reactors | PhD |
| Mr Yusuf Wakili Umar | Synthesis and Characterisation of Biodiesel: A Study on Oxidation Stability Enhancement | PhD |
| Y Wang | PhD | |
| M Morris | PhD | |
| X Li | PhD |
Cambridge University
Edinburgh University
| Funder | Year won | Project | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| CATAPULT Connected Places | 2023 | TRIG Grant | Principal Investigator |
| Network Rail | 2022 | Predicting Point Failure - Network Rail Funded PhD | Principal Investigator |
| Royal Society | 2022 | Functionally Driven Electrocatalysis For Capturing Low Grade Heat or Vibration to Drive Chemistry | Principal Investigator |
| 2020 | Mclaren F1 - Active Cooling | Principal Investigator | |
| Innovate UK | 2018 | Feasibility project to dramatically extend 1st life via next generation battery management systems | Principal Investigator |
| Innovate UK | 2019 | Low-cost, scalable and agile synthesis routes for sodium-ion battery materials | Principal Investigator |
| Proposal | Project | Role | Funder | Status | Status last updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KTP Capability Building Fund | KTP Capacity building | Co-Investigator | Innovate UK | OPEN Approved for submission | Jan 2023 |
| An Approach for Sustainable Agriculture through Novel Hydrogen Peroxide and Nitrate Production | An approach for sustainable agriculture through novel hydrogen peroxide and nitrate production | Principal Investigator | Academy of Medical Sciences | OPEN Submitted | Nov 2022 |
| EPSRC open fellowship | EPSRC open fellowship | Principal Investigator | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) | OPEN In preparation | Nov 2022 |
| PhotoNanoE3 | PhotoNanoE3 | Co-Investigator | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) | OPEN Submitted | Mar 2023 |
| E3 London Centre for Energy Engineering | E3 (TBC) | Principal Investigator | Research England | OPEN Approved for submission | Mar 2023 |
| Whole Body Vibration - Challenge 2 | Whole Body Vibration - Challenge 2 | Co-Investigator | Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) | OPEN Submitted | Jan 2023 |
| NIHR Healthtech Research Centres 2022 Stage 2. Automation of data for Improving Community Health Care | Automation of data for Improvity Community Health Care | Co-Investigator | National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) | OPEN Approved for submission | Nov 2022 |
| Predicting Point Failure - Network Rail Funded PhD | Predicting Point Failure - Network Rail Funded PhD | Principal Investigator | Network Rail | OPEN Approved for submission | Jan 2022 |
| Mission Innovation Workshop | Mission Innovation Workshop | Principal Investigator | Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) | OPEN Submitted | Jun 2019 |
An Efficient Continuous Hydrothermal Flow Synthesis of Carbon Quantum Dots from a Targeted Biomass Precursor for On-Off Metal Ions Nano-Sensing
Baragau, I., Power, N., Morgan, D, Lobo, R, Roberts, C, Titirici, M., Dunn, S. and Kellici, S. (2021). An Efficient Continuous Hydrothermal Flow Synthesis of Carbon Quantum Dots from a Targeted Biomass Precursor for On-Off Metal Ions Nano-Sensing. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 9 (6), pp. 2559-2569. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c08594
Ammonia Gas Sensor Response of a Vertical Zinc Oxide Nanorod-Gold Junction Diode at Room Temperature
Tu, Y., Kyle, C., Luo, H., Zhang, D-W., Das, A., Briscoe, J., Dunn, S., Titirici, M-M. and Krause, S. (2020). Ammonia Gas Sensor Response of a Vertical Zinc Oxide Nanorod-Gold Junction Diode at Room Temperature. ACS Sensors. 5 (11), pp. 3568-3575. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.0c01769
Domain Wall Free Polar Structure Enhanced Photodegradation Activity in Nanoscale Ferroelectric Ba x Sr 1‐ x TiO 3
Wang, Y., Zhang, M., Liu, J., Zhang, H., Li, F., Tseng, C.W., Yang, B., Smith, G., Zhai, J., Zhang, Z., Dunn, S. and Yan, H. (2020). Domain Wall Free Polar Structure Enhanced Photodegradation Activity in Nanoscale Ferroelectric Ba x Sr 1‐ x TiO 3. Advanced Energy Materials. 10 (38), p. 2001802. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202001802
Demonstration of Enhanced Piezo-Catalysis for Hydrogen Generation and Water Treatment at the Ferroelectric Curie Temperature
Thuy Phuong, PT, Zhang, Y, Gathercole, N, Khanbareh, H, Hoang Duy, NP, Zhou, X, Zhang, D, Zhou, K, Dunn, S and Bowen, C (2020). Demonstration of Enhanced Piezo-Catalysis for Hydrogen Generation and Water Treatment at the Ferroelectric Curie Temperature. iScience. 23 (5), pp. 101095-101095. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.101095
Continuous Hydrothermal Flow Synthesis of Blue-Luminescent, Excitation-Independent Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots as Nanosensors
Baragau, I., Power, N., Morgan, D., Heil, T., Lobo, R., Roberts, C., Titirici, M.M., Dunn, S. and Kellici, S. (2020). Continuous Hydrothermal Flow Synthesis of Blue-Luminescent, Excitation-Independent Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots as Nanosensors. Journal of Materials Chemistry A. (8), pp. 3270-3279. https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA11781D
Thermal Energy Harvesting Using Pyroelectric-Electrochemical Coupling in Ferroelectric Materials
Zhang, Y., Phuong, P.T.T., Roake, E., Khanbareh, H., Wang, Y., Dunn, S. and Bowen, C. (2020). Thermal Energy Harvesting Using Pyroelectric-Electrochemical Coupling in Ferroelectric Materials. Joule. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2019.12.019
Influence of ferroelectric dipole on the photocatalytic activity of heterostructured BaTiO3/α-Fe2O3
Cui, Y, Sun, H, Briscoe, J, Wilson, R, Tarakina, N, Dunn, S and Pu, Y (2019). Influence of ferroelectric dipole on the photocatalytic activity of heterostructured BaTiO3/α-Fe2O3. Nanotechnology. 30 (25). https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/ab0b00
Bi2Fe4O9 thin films as novel visible-light-active photoanodes for solar water splitting
Wang, Y., Daboczi, M., Mesa, C.A., Ratnasingham, S.R., Kim, J-S., Durrant, J. R., Dunn, S., Yan, H. and Briscoe, J. (2019). Bi2Fe4O9 thin films as novel visible-light-active photoanodes for solar water splitting. Journal of Materials Chemistry A. 16. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8TA09583C
Pyro-electrolytic water splitting for hydrogen generation
Zhang, Y, Kumar, S, Marken, F, Krasny, M, Roake, E, Eslava, S, Dunn, S, Da Como, E and Bowen, CR (2019). Pyro-electrolytic water splitting for hydrogen generation. Nano Energy. 58, pp. 183-191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2019.01.030
Optimization of 3D ZnO brush-like nanorods for dye-sensitized solar cells
Pace, S, Resmini, A, Tredici, IG, Soffientini, A, Liao, X, Dunn, S, Briscoe, J and Anselmi-Tamburini, U (2018). Optimization of 3D ZnO brush-like nanorods for dye-sensitized solar cells. RSC Advances. 8, pp. 9775-9782. https://doi.org/10.1039/C7RA13128C
Enhanced discharge energy density of rGO/PVDF nanocomposites: The role of the heterointerface
Zhang, Y, Wang, Y, Qi, S, Dunn, S, Dong, H and Button, T (2018). Enhanced discharge energy density of rGO/PVDF nanocomposites: The role of the heterointerface. Applied Physics Letters. 112 (20), pp. 202904-202904. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5026180
Photoelectrocatalysis of Rhodamine B and solar hydrogen production by TiO2 and Pd/TiO2 catalyst systems
Yilmaz, P, Lacerda, A M, Larrosa, I and Dunn, S (2017). Photoelectrocatalysis of Rhodamine B and solar hydrogen production by TiO2 and Pd/TiO2 catalyst systems. Electrochimica Acta. 231, pp. 641-649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2017.02.035
Carbon-Nanodot Solar Cells from Renewable Precursors
Marinovic, A, Kiat, LS, Dunn, S, Titirici, MM and Briscoe, J (2017). Carbon-Nanodot Solar Cells from Renewable Precursors. ChemSusChem. 10 (5), pp. 1004-1013. https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201601741
Pyroelectric energy harvesting for water splitting
Xie, M, Dunn, S, Le Boulbar, E and Bowen, C R (2017). Pyroelectric energy harvesting for water splitting. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. 42 (37), pp. 23437-23445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2017.02.086
Enhanced photocatalytic activity of heterostructured ferroelectric BaTiO3/α-Fe2O3 and the significance of interface morphology control
Cui, Y, Briscoe, J, Wang, Y, Tarakina, N V and Dunn, S (2017). Enhanced photocatalytic activity of heterostructured ferroelectric BaTiO3/α-Fe2O3 and the significance of interface morphology control. ACS applied materials & interfaces. 9 (29), pp. 24518-24526. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b03523
Tuning the electrocaloric enhancement near the morphotropic phase boundary in lead-free ceramics
Le Goupil, F, McKinnon, R, Koval, V, Viola, G, Dunn, S, Berenov, A, Yan, H and Alford, N (2016). Tuning the electrocaloric enhancement near the morphotropic phase boundary in lead-free ceramics. Scientific Reports. 6, p. 28251. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep28251
Effect of internal electric fields on charge carrier dynamics in a ferroelectric material for solar energy conversion
Morris, MR, Pendlebury, SR, Hong, J, Dunn, S and Durrant, JR (2016). Effect of internal electric fields on charge carrier dynamics in a ferroelectric material for solar energy conversion. Advanced Materials. 28 (33), pp. 7123-7128. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201601238
Bismuth ferrite enhanced ZnO solid state dye-sensitised solar cell
Loh, L, Briscoe, J and Dunn, S (2016). Bismuth ferrite enhanced ZnO solid state dye-sensitised solar cell. Procedia Engineering. 139, pp. 15-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2015.09.235
Structural, Optical and Magnetic Properties of Cu-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles by Co-Precipitation Method
Fabbiyola, S, Kennedy, L J, JudithVijaya, J, Bououdina, M and Dunn, S (2016). Structural, Optical and Magnetic Properties of Cu-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles by Co-Precipitation Method. Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. 16 (9), pp. 9722-9730. https://doi.org/10.1166/jnn.2016.12094
Incorporation of Ag nanowires in CuWO 4 for improved visible light-induced photoanode performance
Zhang, H, Yilmaz, P, Ansari, JO, Khan, FF, Binions, R, Krause, S and Dunn, S (2015). Incorporation of Ag nanowires in CuWO 4 for improved visible light-induced photoanode performance. Journal of Materials Chemistry A. 3 (18), pp. 9638-9644. https://doi.org/10.1039/c4ta07213h
Routes to energy conversion with functional oxide films and nanostructures, a short review
Dunn, S (2015). Routes to energy conversion with functional oxide films and nanostructures, a short review. Thin Solid Films. 601, pp. 59-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2015.09.064
Plasmon enhanced visible light photocatalysis for TiO 2 supported Pd nanoparticles
Lacerda, AM, Larrosa, I and Dunn, S (2015). Plasmon enhanced visible light photocatalysis for TiO 2 supported Pd nanoparticles. Nanoscale. 7 (29), pp. 12331-12335. https://doi.org/10.1039/c5nr03659c
Enhanced performance with bismuth ferrite perovskite in ZnO nanorod solid state solar cells
Loh, L, Briscoe, J and Dunn, S (2014). Enhanced performance with bismuth ferrite perovskite in ZnO nanorod solid state solar cells. Nanoscale. 6 (12), pp. 7072-7078. https://doi.org/10.1039/c4nr00911h
ZnO nanorod surface modification with PDDA/PSS Bi-layer assembly for performance improvement of ZnO piezoelectric energy harvesting devices
Jalali, N, Briscoe, J, Tan, YZ, Woolliams, P, Stewart, M, Weaver, PM, Cain, MG and Dunn, S (2014). ZnO nanorod surface modification with PDDA/PSS Bi-layer assembly for performance improvement of ZnO piezoelectric energy harvesting devices. Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology. 73 (3), pp. 544-549. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-014-3512-4
Lithium-induced phase transitions in lead-free Bi0. 5Na0. 5TiO3 based ceramics
Viola, G, McKinnon, R, Koval, V, Adomkevicius, A, Dunn, S and Yan, H (2014). Lithium-induced phase transitions in lead-free Bi0. 5Na0. 5TiO3 based ceramics. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 118 (16), pp. 8564-8570. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp500609h
Influence of anneal atmosphere on ZnO-nanorod photoluminescent and morphological properties with self-powered photodetector performance
Hatch, SM, Briscoe, J, Sapelkin, A, Gillin, WP, Gilchrist, JB, Ryan, MP, Heutz, S and Dunn, S (2013). Influence of anneal atmosphere on ZnO-nanorod photoluminescent and morphological properties with self-powered photodetector performance. Journal of Applied Physics. 113 (20), pp. 204501-204501. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4805349
Acoustic enhancement of polymer/ZnO nanorod photovoltaic device performance
Shoaee, S, Briscoe, J, Durrant, JR and Dunn, S (2013). Acoustic enhancement of polymer/ZnO nanorod photovoltaic device performance. Advanced Materials. 26 (2), pp. 263-268. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201303304
Effect of Ferroelectricity on Solar-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity of BaTiO3? Influence on the Carrier Separation and Stern Layer Formation
Cui, Y, Briscoe, J and Dunn, S (2013). Effect of Ferroelectricity on Solar-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity of BaTiO3? Influence on the Carrier Separation and Stern Layer Formation. Chemistry of Materials. 25 (21), pp. 4215-4223. https://doi.org/10.1021/cm402092f
Ultra high resolution of PZT 30/70 domains as imaged by PFM
Dunn, S, Shaw, CP, Huang, Z and Whatmore, RW (2002). Ultra high resolution of PZT 30/70 domains as imaged by PFM. Nanotechnology. 13 (4). https://doi.org/https://www.doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/13/4/303
Pricing and Discounting
Bennett, DR, Scriven, J and Dunn, S (2017). Pricing and Discounting. in: Sharp, B (ed.) Marketing, Theory, Evidence, Practice Australia Oxford University Press (OUP). pp. 300-330
3D printed SrNbO2N photocatalyst for degradation of organic pollutants in water
Iborra-Torres, A., Husˇ, M., Nguyen, K., Vamvakeros, A., Sajjad, T., Dunn, S., Mertens, M., Jacques, S., Beale, A., Likozar, B., Hyett, G., Kellici, S. and Middelkoop, V. (2023). 3D printed SrNbO2N photocatalyst for degradation of organic pollutants in water. Materials Advances. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2MA01076C
Enhancement of Thermoelectric Performance in Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 Particulate Composites Including Ferroelectric BaTiO3 Nanodots
Cheng, Y., Yang, J., Luo, Y., Li, Wang, Vtyurin, A., Jiang, Q., Dunn, S. and Yan, H. (2022). Enhancement of Thermoelectric Performance in Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 Particulate Composites Including Ferroelectric BaTiO3 Nanodots. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 14 (32), p. 37204–37212. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c10424
Chemical solution deposition of single phase BiFeO3 thin films on transparent substrates
Wang, Y., Zhang, M., Yue, Y., Zhang, H., Mahajan, A., Dunn, S. and Yan, H. (2022). Chemical solution deposition of single phase BiFeO3 thin films on transparent substrates. Solar RRL. https://doi.org/10.1002/solr.202200124
High Efficiency Water Splitting using Ultrasound Coupled to a BaTiO 3 Nanofluid
Zhang, Y., Khanbareh, H., Dunn, S., Bowen, C., Gong, H., Duy, N.P.H. and Phuong, P.T.T. (2022). High Efficiency Water Splitting using Ultrasound Coupled to a BaTiO 3 Nanofluid. Advanced Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202105248
In-situ continuous hydrothermal synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles on conductive N-doped MXene nanosheets for binder-free Li-ion battery anodes
Alli, U., McCarthy, K, Baragau, I., Power, N., Morgan, K, Dunn, S., Killian, S, Kennedy, T. and Kellici, S. (2021). In-situ continuous hydrothermal synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles on conductive N-doped MXene nanosheets for binder-free Li-ion battery anodes. Chemical Engineering Journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2021.132976
Facile one-step synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic activity of WC/ferroelectric nanocomposite
Zhang, M., Wang, Y., Liu, J., Thangamuthu, M., Yue, Y., Yan, Z., Feng, J., Zhang, J., Zhang, H., Guan, S., Titirici, M., Abrahams, I., Tang, J., Zhang, Z., Dunn, S. and Yan, H. (2021). Facile one-step synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic activity of WC/ferroelectric nanocomposite. Journal of Materials Chemistry A.
Pyroelectric Materials for Energy Harvesting
Guru Prasanna, G. S., Dunn, S. and Billing, M. (2021). Pyroelectric Materials for Energy Harvesting. London Doctoral Academy Postgraduate Research Summer School 2021. London South Bank University 05 - 08 Jul 2021