John T S Irvine

• DPhil
• Professor at University of St Andrews

Noble bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) are nowadays essential in various applications, like CO2 utilization by dry reforming of methane (DRM), due to their unique and potential properties. A synthesis method for Ru based Janus‐structured NPs is presented via surface interactive assembly of deposited Ru and emerged Ni species from carefully tailored p...

The perovskite type compounds of BaCe0.6–xZr0.3SmxPr0.1O3–δ (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4; named as BCZSP1, BCZSP2, BCZSP3, and BCZSP4, respectively) were synthesized by the dry chemistry reaction method. The structure, phase, microstructure, impedance spectroscopy and chemical stability of the synthesized compounds were investigated by different tec...

In this study, a new type of oxycarbide-based compounds, namely lanthanum titanium oxycarbide and neodymium titanium oxycarbide, were synthesized through solid-state reaction to replace titanium oxycarbide due to its rapid charge carrier recombination and limited responsiveness to visible light (VL) in photocatalysis. The structural, morphological,...

The significant interest in perovskite oxides stems from their compositional and structural flexibility, particularly in the field of electrochemistry. In this study, the double E strategy (exsolution and electrodeposition strategies) is successfully devised for synthesizing perovskite‐based bifunctional electrocatalysts, enabling simultaneous OER...

Recent research into Rh and Ce0.80Gd0.20O1.90-impregnated La0.20Sr0.25Ca0.45TiO3 fuel electrodes for solid oxide fuel cells has demonstrated the high-stability of these material sets to a variety of harsh operating conditions at small scales (1 cm² active area button cells), as well as commercial scales (100 cm² cells) in short stacks (5 cells) and...

Utilizing rare earth doped ceria in solid oxide cells (SOCs) engineering is indeed a strategy aimed at enhancing the electrochemical devices' durability and activity. Particularly, Gd‐doped ceria (GDC) is actively used for barrier layer and catalytic additives in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In this study, experiments are conducted with La‐doped...

Exsolution of metal nanoparticles (NPs) on perovskite oxides has been demonstrated as a reliable strategy for producing catalyst‐support systems. Conventional exsolution requires high temperatures for long periods of time, limiting the selection of support materials. Plasma direct exsolution is reported at room temperature and atmospheric pressure...

Bimetallic catalysts combining precious and earth-abundant metals in well designed nanoparticle architectures can enable cost efficient and stable heterogeneous catalysis. Here, we present an interaction-driven in-situ approach to engineer finely dispersed Ni decorated Pt nanoparticles (1-6 nm) on perovskite nanofibres via reduction at high tempera...

In the last few years, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the usage of antigen rapid test (ART) kits and improper disposal of these kits has led to the mixing of toxic chemical compounds present in the ART reagent solution container into drinking water sources. When consumed with drinking water, these compounds can be harmful and toxic to both hum...

The magnesium doped yttrium barium zirconate, YBa 2 Zr 3-x Mg x O 9.5-δ (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) has been prepared by the standard solid-state reaction method and the room temperature X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle size analysis (PSA) a...

Designing an electrocatalyst with low Pt content is an immediate need for essential reactions in low temperature fuel cell systems. In the present work, La0.9925Ba0.0075Al0.995Pt0.005O3 is aimed at using with low (only 0.5%) Pt doping as an electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The low doping level renders exsolution of 1–2 nm nanopa...

A novel in situ powder infiltration method was used to fabricate 3D positive electrodes with scalable high areal capacity, highlighting the high mass loading of active materials and interfaces of binder-free 3D electrodes.

We propose an ultrasonic spraying strategy for the one-step fabrication of uniform nano-electrodes with a nano-convex structure on an all-ceramic fuel electrode, enhancing both activity and durability.

Over the past decade, the University of St Andrews and HEXIS AG have engaged in a highly successful collaborative project aiming to develop and upscale La 0.20 Sr 0.25 Ca 0.45 TiO 3 (LSCT A‐ ) anode “backbone” microstructures, impregnated with Ce 0.80 Gd 0.20 O 1.90 (CG20) and metallic electrocatalysts, providing direct benefits in terms of perform...

Cellulose is is made up of linear polymers of glucose monomers that could be a crucial source for valuable chemicals and sustainable liquid fuels. Cellulose is however, very stable and its conversion to a useful fuel or platform chemical products remains a significant challenge [3,4]. Photocatalysis is a versatile technology which has demonstrated...

Exsolution of nanoparticles followed by chemical treatment (“chemistry at a point”) is a very exciting approach to the smart design of functional materials such as visible light active photocatalysts. Unfortunately, the usually utilized thermal reduction approach is not feasible for low melting point metals and compounds such as Cd and CdO. Here a...

Perovskites are an important class of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts due to highly tunable compositions and adaptable characteristics. However, perovskite‐based catalysts can have limited atom utilization efficiency due to large particle size, resulting in low mass activity. Herein, Cobalt nanoparticles are exsolved from La0.2+2xCa0.7‐2x...

As a result of a successful collaboration between the University of St Andrews and HEXIS AG over the past >10 years, an alternative solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) fuel electrode material (to the state-of-the-art Ni/CGO fuel electrode) has been intensively researched and developed ¹ at a button cell scale (1 cm ² active area), ² tested under harsh ope...

Recently nitrogen-hydrogen compounds have successfully been applied as co-catalysts for mild conditions ammonia synthesis. Ca2NH was shown to act as a H2 sink during reaction, with H atoms from its lattice being incorporated into the NH3(g) product. Thus the ionic transport and diffusion properties of the N–H co-catalyst are fundamentally important...

Over the last decade, exsolution has emerged as a powerful new method for decorating oxide supports with uniformly dispersed nanoparticles for energy and catalytic applications. Due to their exceptional anchorage, resilience to various degradation mechanisms, as well as numerous ways in which they can be produced, transformed and applied, exsolved...

Sodium‐ion batteries have attracted widespread interest due to the potential for providing safe and cheap energy storage. However, large scale use of sodium‐ion batteries is limited by insufficient performance from positive electrode materials, while also avoiding the use of expensive and toxic elements. Here, we present a bi‐phasic sodium layered...

Recent research into Rh and Ce 0.80 Gd 0.20 O 1.90 -impregnated La 0.20 Sr 0.25 Ca 0.45 TiO 3 fuel electrodes for solid oxide fuel cells has demonstrated the high-stability of these material sets to a variety of harsh operating conditions at small scales (button cells with 1 cm ² active area), as well as full commercial scales (100 cm ² cells) in s...

Combining a rational design strategy with a simple synthetic method to produce an eco-friendly material presents a unique challenge in photocatalysis technology. This work reports the successful synthesis of a heteroanionic titanium oxycarbide photocatalyst—TiO0.25C0.75 (TiOC) via a solid-state reaction and employed for the decomposition of Congo r...

As a low‐cost alternative to noble metals, Cu plays an important role in industrial catalysis, such as water‐gas shift reaction, methanol or ethanol oxidation, hydrogenation of oils, CO oxidation, among many others. An important step in optimizing Cu catalyst performance is control of nanoparticles size, distribution, and the interface with the sup...

Microplastic research has gained attention due to the increased detection of microplastics (<5 mm size) in the aquatic environment. Most laboratory-based research of microplastics is performed using microparticles from specific suppliers with either superficial or no characterisation performed to confirm the physico-chemical information detailed by...

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 into valuable fuels and chemicals has become a contemporary research area, where the heterogeneous catalyst plays a critical role. Metal nanoparticles supported on oxides performing as active sites of electrochemical reactions have been the focus of intensive investigation. Here, we review the CO2 reduction with act...

Ni-YSZ (nickel-yttrium-stabilized zirconia) is a common anode for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) because of its excellent catalytic performance and electronic conductivity. It shows that the nickel anode-supported cell exhibits good cell performance in a biogas fuel of 36CH4-36CO2-20H2O-4H2-4CO. Unfortunately, natural biogas fuels often contain sul...

Nanostructured one-dimensional multiwall-carbon nanotubes have a variety of advantageous properties including good electrical conductivity and mechanical strength, and thus have been widely investigated for use in lithium-ion battery electrodes as conductive and microstructural additives, though also possess some electrochemical activity. Their app...

Bi-phasic O3/P2 sodium layered oxides have emerged as leading candidates for the commercialisation of next-generation sodium-ion batteries. However, beyond simply altering the sodium content, rational control of the O3/P2 ratio in these materials has proven particularly challenging despite being crucial for the realization of high-performance elect...

Here we report the synthesis and properties of some lead-free organic bismuth halides. β-(PPD) 2 Bi 2 I 10 has the longest average charge carrier lifetime (>1 μs) of the materials studied here, of the same order of magnitude as that of (CH 3 NH 3 )PbI 3 and has a low band gap.

A wide bandgap CaTiO3−δ (CTO) with oxygen vacancy (VO) was prepared to investigate the sensitization or photochromism caused by the adsorbed gaseous species, and the resultant photocatalytic performance of CTO under visible light. The adsorption of CO2 was able to produce an intermediate gap state in CTO according to the density-function-theory (DF...

Active bi‐metallic nanoparticles are of key importance in catalysis and renewable energy. Here, the in situ formation of bi‐metallic nanoparticles is investigated by exsolution on 200 nm diameter perovskite fibers. The B‐site co‐doped perovskite fibers display a high degree of exsolution, decorated with NiCo or Ni3Fe bi‐metallic nanoparticles with...

Exsolution of excess transition metal cations from a non-stoichiometric perovskite oxide has sparked interest as a facile route for the formation of stable nanoparticles on the oxide surface. However, the atomic-scale mechanism of this nanoparticle formation remains largely unknown. The present in situ scanning transmission electron microscopy comb...

Cyanobacteria and their toxic secondary metabolites present challenges for water treatment globally. In this study we have assessed TiO2 immobilized onto recycled foamed glass beads by a facile calcination method, combined in treatment units with 365 nm UV-LEDs. The treatment system was deployed in mesocosms within a eutrophic Brazilian drinking wa...

Oxygen anion redox offers an effective strategy to enhance the energy density of layered oxide positive electrodes for sodium and lithium‑ion batteries. However, lattice oxygen loss and irreversible structural transformations over the first cycle may result in large voltage hysteresis, thereby impeding practical application. Herein, ribbon superstr...

Sodium layered oxides which display oxygen anion redox behaviour are considered promising positive electrodes for sodium‑ion batteries because they offer increased specific capacities. However, they suffer from irreversible structural changes resulting in significant capacity loss and limited oxygen redox reversibility. Here the effect of Cu substi...

Cyanobacteria and their toxins are a threat to drinking water safety as increasingly cyanobacterial blooms (mass occurrences) occur in lakes and reservoirs all over the world. Photocatalytic removal of cyanotoxins by solar light active catalysts is a promising way to purify water at relatively low cost compared to modifying existing infrastructure....

Exsolution of metal nanoparticles (NPs) on perovskite oxides has been demonstrated as a reliable strategy for producing catalyst-support systems. Conventional exsolution requires high temperatures for long periods of time, limiting the selection of support materials. Plasma direct exsolution is reported at room temperature and atmospheric pressure...

Symmetric solid oxide cells (SSOCs) have attracted enormous attention in research and development because of their simple cell configuration and low fabrication costs. However, their development is limited by their electrocatalytic activity and stability of the electrode materials used. Herein, we report a novel perovskite oxide electrode Pr0.5Ba0....

Sodium layered oxides showing oxygen redox activity are promising positive electrodes for sodium‑ion batteries (SIBs). However, structural degradation typically results in limited reversibility of the oxygen redox activity. Herein, the effect of Zn‑doping on the electrochemical properties of P3‐type sodium manganese oxide, synthesised under air and...

La0.5Ba0.5CuxFe1-xO3-δ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) perovskite was investigated as a cathode for a protonic solid oxide fuel cell (H-SOFC) using BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.2Oδ (BZCY) electrolyte. A maximum electric conductivity (76.84 S cm⁻¹ at 700 oC) was achieved in the air at the composition of La0.5Ba0.5Cu0.4Fe0.6O3-δ. Comparing to La0.5Ba0.5CuO3-δ (LBC), the increase in F...

Plastics are utilised globally but are of environmental concern due to their persistence. The global presence of microplastics (particles <5 mm in all dimensions) in freshwater environments is increasingly reported, as has the presence of cyanobacterial toxins, including the microcystins. We elucidated the potential role of microplastics as a vecto...

Recently, symmetrical solid oxide electrolysis cells (SSOECs) with the same electrode materials as both the anode and cathode have attracted lots of attention because of their simple manufacturing process and low cost. Moreover, this can narrow the trouble of chemical incompatibility and thermal mismatching, and also, these SSOECs are more convenie...

A solid oxide fuel cell utilizing bio-fuels such as methanol and ethanol could provide a carbon–neutral electricity generation and facilitate its applications in transport or stationary power unit. Herein, Ce⁴⁺ doping in SrFe0.95Ni0.05O3 imparts FeNi3 exsolution and CeO2 precipitation in a reducing condition, contributing to the fuel reforming, C-C...

To date, the high cost of supplying UV irradiation has prevented the widespread application of UV photolysis and titanium dioxide based photocatalysis in removing undesirable organics in the water treatment sector. To overcome this problem, the use of UV-LEDs (365 nm) for photolysis and heterogeneous photocatalysis applying TiO2 coated glass beads...

Protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) have become the most efficient, clean and cost-effective electrochemical energy conversion devices in recent years. While significant progress has been made in developing proton conducting electrolyte materials, mechanical strength and durability still need to be improved for efficient applications. We report tha...

The magnitude of ionic conductivity is known to depend upon both mobility and number of available carriers. For proton conductors, hydration is a key factor in determining the charge–carrier concentration in ABO3 perovskite oxides. Despite the high reported proton mobility of calcium titanate (CaTiO3), this titanate perovskite has thus far been reg...

Increasing concerns regarding the sustainability of lithium sources, due to their limited availability and consequent expected price increase, have raised awareness of the importance of developing alternative energy-storage candidates that can sustain the ever-growing energy demand. Furthermore, limitations on the availability of the transition met...

We observe the extraction of carriers excited between two types of bands in the perovskite oxide, Sr-deficient strontium niobate (Sr0.9NbO3). Sr0.9NbO3 exhibits metallic behaviour and high conductivity, whilst also displaying broad absorption across the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared spectral regions, making it an attractive material for s...

Platinum functions exceptionally well as a nanoparticulate catalyst in many important fields, such as in the removal of atmospheric pollutants, but it is scarce, expensive and not always sufficiently durable. Here, we report a perovskite system in which 0.5 wt% Pt is integrated into the support and its subsequent conversion through exsolution to ac...

Alternative and sustainable waste sources are receiving increasing attention as they can be used to produce biofuels with a low carbon footprint. Waste fish oil is one such example and can be considered an abundant and sustainable waste source to produce biodiesel. Ultimately this could lead to fishing communities having their own ‘off-grid’ source...

Protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) have become the most efficient, clean and cost-effective electrochemical energy conversion devices in recent years. While significant progress has been made in developing proton conducting electrolyte materials, mechanical strength and durability still need to be improved for efficient applications. We report tha...

In article number 2100339, Kang Taek Lee, Tae Ho Shin and co‐workers design a promising robust ceramic electrode for high‐temperature CO2 electrolysis cells with a LaGaO3 based solid oxide electrolyte. The presence of the resulting oxygen vacancy enhancement via Mn and Fe co‐doped cerium oxide, Ce(Mn, Fe)O2, mixing with La(Sr)Cr(Mn)O3 perovskite ox...

Robust oxide electrodes with high activity and durability have attracted significant attention as alternatives for Ni‐based cathodes in high‐temperature solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs). Noncoking La(Sr)Cr(Mn)O3 (LSCM)‐based oxide cathodes have shown promise as durable ceramic cathodes; however, they suffer from low electrocatalytic activitie...

The demand for clean and sustainable energy has garnered great interest in new energy materials. Among them, high temperature proton-conducting perovskite oxides are, or can be widely used in clean energy applications (including fuel cells, electrochemical reactors, solid-state separators and supports of catalytic components via various reduction a...

Environmental problems associated with the use of fossil fuels and increase in energy demands due to rise in population and rapid industrialisation, are the driving forces for energy. Catalytic conversion of biomass to renewable energies is among the promising approaches to materialize the above. This requires development of robust catalysts to sup...

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack technology offers a reliable, efficient, and clean method of sustainable heat and electricity co‐generation that can be integrated into micro‐combined heat and power (µ‐CHP) units for use in residential and small commercial environments. Recent years have seen the successful market introduction of several SOFC‐bas...

Many drinking water reservoirs can contain organic pollutants such as artificial synthesized dye and drugs. On the other hand, some naturally occurring microorganisms such as cyanobacteria, are capable of producing toxic secondary metabolites (cyanotoxins) causing detrimental health effects in humans and animals are also present in water reservoirs...

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) comprising LSM-YSZ/LSM composite cathodes, 6ScSZ electrolytes and La 0.20 Sr 0.25 Ca 0.45 TiO 3 (LSCT A− ) anode ‘backbone’ microstructures were prepared using thick-film ceramic processing techniques. Activation and decoration of the LSCT A− ...

The search for solar-driven photocatalysts for overall water splitting has been actively pursued. Although metal oxynitrides with metal d0/d10-closed shell configuration are very promising candidates in terms of their visible light absorption, they usually suffer from serious photo-generated charge recombination and thus, little photoactivity. Here...

Employment of identical oxides for the cathode and anode in a symmetrical solid oxide fuel cell (SSOFC) is beneficial for decreasing the fabrication costs of a robust cell. Ce doping on the A site of SrFeO3 increased the structural stability in a reducing atmosphere, but ceria was found to exsolve from the perovskite during the cooling process in t...

The effects of catalyst loading, calcination and reaction temperatures on the structural properties and catalytic behavior of Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalyst system in relation to steam reforming of glycerol and catalyst deactivation were investigated. The results showed that catalyst loading, reaction and calcination temperatures had a profound influence on t...

Symmetrical solid oxide cells (SSOCs) have been extensively recognized due to their simple cell configuration, low cost and reliability. High performance electrode is the key determinant of SSOCs. Herein, a multifunctional perovskite oxide La0.6Ca0.4Fe0.8Ni0.2O3-δ (LCaFN) is investigated as electrode for SSOCs. The results confirm that LCaFN shows...

This work demonstrates a route to making mixed halide perovskite powders at room temperature by the anti-solvent-assisted crystallization method. Although, mixed halide CH3NH3PbBr3−xClx perovskites have been prepared by different methods, however, to the best of our knowledge the anti-solvent-assisted crystallization method is employed here for the...

Additional capacity delivered by oxygen redox activity may in principle represent a means of enhancing the electrochemical performance of layered sodium transition metal oxides. However, irreversible structural changes occurring during cycling typically cause significant capacity fade with limited reversibility of oxygen redox processes. Here, P3-s...

Correction for ‘Lithiation of V 2 O 3 (SO 4 ) 2 – a flexible insertion host’ by Stephanie F. Linnell et al. , J. Mater. Chem. A , 2020, DOI: 10.1039/d0ta06608g.

Materials that display strong capabilities for lithium insertion without significant change in unit cell size on cycling are of considerable importance for electrochemical applications. Here, we present V2O3(SO4)2 as a host for lithium-ion batteries. Electrochemically, 2.0 Li⁺ ions can be inserted, giving Li2V2O3(SO4)2 with an oxidation state of V⁴...

The Cover Feature shows an artistic view of a Li‐ion battery with an atomic‐layer‐fluorinated cathode for improved electrochemical cycling. More information can be found in the Article by N. Louvain and co‐workers.

In this contribution, a reversible Solid Oxide Cell based on perovskites was developed. La0.6Sr0.4Ga0.3Fe0.7O3 (LSGF) was chosen as electrode and deposited onto La0.9Sr0.1Ga0.8Mg0.2O3 (LSGM) electrolyte. The cell was investigated from the morphological (SEM) and compatibility (XRD) point of view. Electrochemical investigation confirmed that the cel...

Conventional solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are operable at high temperatures (700 – 1,000 °C) with the most commonly used electrolyte, yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ). SOFC R&D activities have thus been carried out to reduce the SOFC operating temperature. At intermediate temperatures (400 – 700 °C), barium cerate (BaCeO3) and barium zirconate (B...

The search for new functional materials that combine high stability and efficiency with reasonable cost and ease of synthesis is critical for their use in renewable energy applications. Specifically in catalysis, nanoparticles, with their high surface-to-volume ratio, can overcome the cost implications associated with otherwise having to use large...

Oxide ion and proton conductors, which exhibit high conductivity at intermediate temperature, are necessary to improve the performance of ceramic fuel cells. The crystal structure plays a pivotal role in defining the ionic conduction properties, and the discovery of new materials is a challenging research focus. Here, we show that the undoped hexag...

Cyanobacteria and their toxic secondary metabolites are a challenge in water treatment due to increased biomass and dissolved metabolites in the raw water. Retrofitting existing water treatment infrastructure is prohibitively expensive or unfeasible, hence ‘in-reservoir’ treatment options are being explored. In the current study, a treatment system...

The surface fluorination of lithium cobalt phosphate (LiCoPO4, LCP) using a one‐step, room temperature processable, easily up‐scalable and dry surface modification method with XeF2 as fluorine source was developed. After fluorination, fluorine‐rich nanoparticles were observed mainly on the particle surface, which facilitates the improvement of surf...