Prof. Patrick R. Unwin

BSc (Liverpool) MA, DPhil (Oxon), DSc (Warwick)

Research Summary

Our research seeks to develop and apply new paradigms for interfacial processes which are of widespread fundamental and practical importance across the whole of science. Our approach is multidisciplinary, involving a large and diverse team with a variety of skills in the chemical, physical and life sciences, and involves the development of leading edge high resolution quantitative imaging techniques which are used to investigate a diversity of processes - for example: cell-membrane transport (biomimetic models and live cells); the growth of crystals, minerals and biominerals; and electrode reactions (e.g. at carbon nanotubes, graphene and in electrocatalysis), among many possible applications. When appropriate, our experimental work is underpinned by modelling of mass transport and chemical reactivity. We have an impressive multidisciplinary infrastructure, further enhanced by key collaborations, including several state of the art AFMs, two laser scanning confocal microscopes, and many unique high resolution electrochemical imaging workstations, which we have developed, for which we are world-leading. Our research is supported by the Euopean Research Council Frontier Research Programme (2010-15), the EPSRC and many multinational companies (e.g. Unilever, Lubrizol, Syngenta, GSK, BP, E6) and we have a close partnership with the UK's National Physical Laboratory. We publish widely in leading journals. Our philosophy is to think creatively and do imaginative new experiments. We welcome approaches for new collaborations or from people wishing to join our dynamic group.

Selected Publications

• Multifunctional Nanoprobes for Nanoscale Chemical Imaging and Localized Chemical Delivery at Surfaces and Interfaces
  

  Y. Takahashi, A. I. Shevchuk, P. Novak, Y. Zhang, N. Ebejer, J. V. Macpherson, P. R. Unwin, A. J. Pollard, D. Roy, C. A. Clifford, H. Shiku, T. Matsue, D. Klenerman and Y. E. Korchev, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2011, 50 (41), 9638-9642.

• Dissolution Kinetics of Polycrystalline Calcium Sulfate-Based Materials: Influence of Chemical Modification
  R. Fisher, M. M. Mbogoro, M. E. Snowden, M. Joseph, J. Covington, P. R. Unwin and R. I. Walton, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2011, 3 (9), 3528-3537.
  

• Electro-oxidation of hydrazine at gold nanoparticle functionalised single walled carbon nanotube network ultramicroelectrodes
  P. V. Dudin, P. R. Unwin and J. V. Macpherson, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2011, 13, 17146-17152.
• Quantitative Visualization of Molecular Transport through Porous Membranes: Enhanced Resolution and Contrast Using Intermittent Contact-Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy
  K. McKelvey, M. E. Snowdon, M. Peruffo and P. R, Unwin, Anal. Chem., 2011, 83, 9447-6454.
  
• Visualizing zeptomole (electro)catalysis at single nanoparticles within an ensemble
  S. C. S. Lai , P. V. Dudin , J. V. Macpherson and P. R. Unwin , J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2011, 133, 10744-10747.
• Fabrication and Characterization of an All-Diamond Tubular Flow Microelectrode for Electroanalysis
  
  L. A. Hutton, M. Vidotti, J. G. Iacobini, C. Kelly, M. E. Newton, P. R. Unwin, and J. V. Macpherson, Anal. Chem., 2011, 83, 5804-5808.
  
• Influence of ultrathin poly-(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) film supports on the electrodeposition and electrocatalytic activity of discrete platinum nanoparticles
  H. V. Patten, E. Ventosa, A. Colina, V. Ruiz, J. Lopez-Palacios, A. J. Wain, S. C. S. Lai, J. V. Macpherson and P. R. Unwin, Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, 2011, ASAP
• Visualisation of electrochemical processes at optically transparent carbon nanotube ultramicroelectrodes (OT-CNT-UMEs)
  A. Rutkowska, T. M. Bawazeer, J. V. Macpherson and P. R. Unwin, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2011, 13, 5223-5226.
• Intrinsic Kinetics of Gypsum and Calcium Sulfate Anhydrite Dissolution: Surface Selective Studies under Hydrodynamic Control and the Effect of Additives
  
  M. M. Mbogoro, M. E. Snowden, M. A. Edwards, M. Peruffo, and P. R. Unwin, J. Phys. Chem. C, 2011, 115, 10147-10154.
  
• Protein crystallization at oil/water interfaces
  B. R. Silver, V. Fülöp and P. R. Unwin, New J. Chem., 2011, 35, 602-606.
  
• Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) studies of catalytic EC′ processes: theory and experiment for feedback, generation/collection and imaging measurements
  S. Cannan, J. Cervera, R. J. Steliaros (née Haskins), E. Bitziou, A. L. Whitworth and P. R. Unwin, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2011, 13, 5403-5412.
  
• Quantitative Analysis and Application of Tip Position Modulation-Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy
  M. A. Edwards, A. L. Whitworth & P. R. Unwin, Anal. Chem., 2011, 83, 1977-1984.
  
• Factors Controlling Stripping Voltammetry of Lead at Polycrystalline Boron Doped Diamond Electrodes: New Insights from High-Resolution Microscopy
  L. A. Hutton, M. E. Newton, P. R. Unwin & J. V. Macpherson, Anal. Chem., 2011, 83 (3), 735-745.
  
• Electrodeposition of Nickel Hydroxide Nanoparticles on Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes for Oxidative Electrocatalysis
  L. A. Hutton, M. Vidotti, A. N. Patel, M. E. Newton, P. R. Unwin & J. V. Macpherson, J. Phys. Chem. C., 2011, 115 (5), 1649-1658.
  
• Evanescent wave cavity-based spectroscopic techniques as probes of interfacial processes
  M. Schnipering, S. R. T. Neil, S. R. Mackenzie & P. R. Unwin, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2011, 40, 207-220.