Electrochemistry and Corrosion Research Group

The research in the Electrochemistry and Corrosion Group is concerned with fundamental research through to applications in the environmental, food and health areas.

It involves the study of electrode processes, new electrode materials and nanostructured materials, the development of electrochemical sensors and biosensors, and metallic corrosion, using mainly electrochemical voltammetric techniques and impedance spectroscopy, hyphenated electrochemical techniques (electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance, sonoelectrochemistry) and surface microscopy characterisation at the nanoscale.

Topics currently being investigated are:
- Development and characterisation of new electrode materials and composite electrode materials, particularly based on carbon, surface–modified electrodes, nanostructured materials with layer-by-layer and nanoparticle modification, and electroactive and conjugated polymers. Electrocatalytic effects.
- Development of electrochemical enzyme biosensors: new architectures using layer-by-layer structures and functionalised carbon nanotubes, sol-gel enzyme immobilisation, core shell structures, nanotechnological aspects. Application to foods and beverages.
- Sensors for electroanalysis and speciation in waters and effluents, particularly of trace biotoxic chemically labile species, using flow and injection systems. Environmental toxicity sensors based on enzyme inhibition. Electroanalysis of pharmaceutical compounds.
- Corrosion and its inhibition: aluminium, copper, steels, coated steels and titanium alloys, dental amalgams in biological fluids. Protection of reinforced concrete structures. New adsorption inhibitors.
- Electrochemistry in ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents – characterisation and application to sensor fabrication.
- Kinetics and mechanism of electrode processes.