Dr Jesum Alves Fernandes' Outputs (34)

A nanoscale chemical oscillator: reversible formation of palladium nanoparticles in ionic liquid (2025)
Journal Article
Lodge, R. W., Cull, W. J., Weilhard, A., Argent, S. P., Alves Fernandes, J., & Khlobystov, A. N. (2025). A nanoscale chemical oscillator: reversible formation of palladium nanoparticles in ionic liquid. Nanoscale, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NR04150J

From the theory of chaos-to-order transitions to the origins of life on Earth, oscillating chemical reactions play a fundamental role in nature. This study demonstrates how chemical oscillators can exist at the nanoscale, bridging the gap between mol... Read More about A nanoscale chemical oscillator: reversible formation of palladium nanoparticles in ionic liquid.

In Situ Transformation of Tin Microparticles to Nanoparticles on Nanotextured Carbon Support Boosts the Efficiency of the Electrochemical CO2 Reduction (2025)
Journal Article
Burwell, T., Thangamuthu, M., Besley, E., Chen, Y., Pyer, J., Alves Fernandes, J., Lanterna, A. E., Licence, P., Aliev, G. N., Theis, W., & Khlobystov, A. N. (2025). In Situ Transformation of Tin Microparticles to Nanoparticles on Nanotextured Carbon Support Boosts the Efficiency of the Electrochemical CO2 Reduction. ACS Applied Energy Materials, 8(4), 2281-2290. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.4c02830

Developing sustainable, efficient catalysts for the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to valuable products remains a crucial challenge. Our research demonstrates that combining tin with nanostructured carbon support leads to a dynamic interface promo... Read More about In Situ Transformation of Tin Microparticles to Nanoparticles on Nanotextured Carbon Support Boosts the Efficiency of the Electrochemical CO2 Reduction.

A descriptor guiding the selection of catalyst supports for ammonia synthesis (2025)
Journal Article
Weilhard, A., Popov, I., Kohlrausch, E. C., Aliev, G. N., Blankenship, L. S., Norman, L. T., Ghaderzadeh, S., Smith, L., Isaacs, M., O'Shea, J., Lanterna, A. E., Theis, W., Morgan, D., Hutchings, G. J., Besley, E., Khlobystov, A. N., & Alves Fernandes, J. (2025). A descriptor guiding the selection of catalyst supports for ammonia synthesis. Chemical Science, 16(11), 4851-4859. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sc08253b

The efforts to increase the active surface area of catalysts led to reduction of metal particle size, down to single metal atoms. This results in increasing importance of support–metal interactions. We demonstrate the mechanisms through which the sup... Read More about A descriptor guiding the selection of catalyst supports for ammonia synthesis.

Evolution of amorphous ruthenium nanoclusters into stepped truncated nano-pyramids on graphitic surfaces boosts hydrogen production from ammonia (2025)
Journal Article
Chen, Y., Young, B. J., Aliev, G. N., Kordatos, A., Popov, I., Ghaderzadeh, S., Liddy, T. J., Cull, W. J., Kohlrausch, E. C., Weilhard, A., Hutchings, G. J., Besley, E., Theis, W., Alves Fernandes, J., & Khlobystov, A. N. (2025). Evolution of amorphous ruthenium nanoclusters into stepped truncated nano-pyramids on graphitic surfaces boosts hydrogen production from ammonia. Chemical Science, 16(6), 2648-2660. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sc06382a

Atomic-scale changes can significantly impact heterogeneous catalysis, yet their atomic mechanisms are challenging to establish using conventional analysis methods. By using identical location scanning transmission electron microscopy (IL-STEM), whic... Read More about Evolution of amorphous ruthenium nanoclusters into stepped truncated nano-pyramids on graphitic surfaces boosts hydrogen production from ammonia.

Direct formation of copper nanoparticles from atoms at graphitic step edges lowers overpotential and improves selectivity of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (2024)
Journal Article
Burwell, T., Thangamuthu, M., Aliev, G. N., Ghaderzadeh, S., Kohlrausch, E. C., Chen, Y., Theis, W., Norman, L. T., Alves Fernandes, J., Besley, E., Licence, P., & Khlobystov, A. N. (2024). Direct formation of copper nanoparticles from atoms at graphitic step edges lowers overpotential and improves selectivity of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction. Communications Chemistry, 7(1), Article 140. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-024-01218-y

A key strategy for minimizing our reliance on precious metals is to increase the fraction of surface atoms and improve the metal-support interface. In this work, we employ a solvent/ligand/counterion-free method to deposit copper in the atomic form d... Read More about Direct formation of copper nanoparticles from atoms at graphitic step edges lowers overpotential and improves selectivity of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction.

From scrap metal to highly efficient electrodes: harnessing the nanotextured surface of swarf for effective utilisation of Pt and Co for hydrogen production (2024)
Journal Article
Thangamuthu, M., Kohlrausch, E. C., Li, M., Speidel, A., Clare, A. T., Plummer, R., Geary, P., Murray, J. W., Khlobystov, A. N., & Alves Fernandes, J. (2024). From scrap metal to highly efficient electrodes: harnessing the nanotextured surface of swarf for effective utilisation of Pt and Co for hydrogen production. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 12(25), 15137-15144. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ta00711e

Hydrogen is considered to be the key element to achieving climate neutrality, leading to a massive demand for electrocatalysts. This work explores the transformation of metal waste into active and stable electrode materials for water splitting by mod... Read More about From scrap metal to highly efficient electrodes: harnessing the nanotextured surface of swarf for effective utilisation of Pt and Co for hydrogen production.

Synergy of nanocrystalline carbon nitride with Cu single atom catalyst leads to selective photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to methanol (2024)
Journal Article
LeMercier, T. M., Thangamuthu, M., Kohlrausch, E. C., Chen, Y., Stoppiello, C. T., Fay, M. W., Rance, G. A., Aliev, G. N., Theis, W., Biskupek, J., Kaiser, U., Lanterna, A. E., Alves Fernandes, J., & Khlobystov, A. N. (2024). Synergy of nanocrystalline carbon nitride with Cu single atom catalyst leads to selective photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to methanol. Sustainable Energy and Fuels, 1691-1703. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SE00028E

Carbon nitride (C3N4) possesses both a band gap in the visible range and a low-lying conduction band potential, suitable for water splitting and CO2 reduction reactions (CO2RR). Yet, bulk C3N4 (b-C3N4) suffers from structural disorder leading to slug... Read More about Synergy of nanocrystalline carbon nitride with Cu single atom catalyst leads to selective photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to methanol.

Selective Excitation of Pd-decorated Titania Enables Consecutive C−C Couplings and Hydrogenations under Ambient Conditions (2023)
Journal Article
Whitehead, R. Z., Norman, L. T., Cull, W. J., Fernandes, J. A., & Lanterna, A. E. (2023). Selective Excitation of Pd-decorated Titania Enables Consecutive C−C Couplings and Hydrogenations under Ambient Conditions. ChemCatChem, 15(21), Article e202300528. https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.202300528

Here, we discovered that Pd decorated TiO2 (Pd@TiO2) enables consecutive photocatalytic Sonogashira C−C coupling and hydrogenation steps by simply adjusting the excitation conditions of the reaction. We demonstrated that by-products containing iodine... Read More about Selective Excitation of Pd-decorated Titania Enables Consecutive C−C Couplings and Hydrogenations under Ambient Conditions.

Chemical Kinetics of Metal Single Atom and Nanocluster Formation on Surfaces: An Example of Pt on Hexagonal Boron Nitride (2023)
Journal Article
Popov, I., Ghaderzadeh, S., Kohlrausch, E. C., Norman, L. T., Slater, T. J. A., Aliev, G. N., Alhabeadi, H., Kaplan, A., Theis, W., Khlobystov, A. N., Fernandes, J. A., & Besley, E. (2023). Chemical Kinetics of Metal Single Atom and Nanocluster Formation on Surfaces: An Example of Pt on Hexagonal Boron Nitride. Nano Letters, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c01968

The production of atomically dispersed metal catalysts remains a significant challenge in the field of heterogeneous catalysis due to coexistence with continuously packed sites such as nanoclusters and nanoparticles. This work presents a comprehensiv... Read More about Chemical Kinetics of Metal Single Atom and Nanocluster Formation on Surfaces: An Example of Pt on Hexagonal Boron Nitride.

Unravelling synergistic effects in bi-metallic catalysts: deceleration of palladium–gold nanoparticle coarsening in the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde (2023)
Journal Article
Pinto, J., Weilhard, A., Norman, L. T., Lodge, R. W., Rogers, D. M., Gual, A., Cano, I., Khlobystov, A. N., Licence, P., & Alves Fernandes, J. (2023). Unravelling synergistic effects in bi-metallic catalysts: deceleration of palladium–gold nanoparticle coarsening in the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde. Catalysis Science and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1039/d3cy00289f

In this work, we demonstrate that the synergistic effect of PdAu nanoparticles (NPs) in hydrogenation reactions is not only related to high activity but also to their stability when compared to Pd mono-metallic NPs. To demonstrate this, a series of m... Read More about Unravelling synergistic effects in bi-metallic catalysts: deceleration of palladium–gold nanoparticle coarsening in the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde.

Interchangeable Biomass Fuels for Paper-Based Microfluidic Fuel Cells: Finding Their Power Density Limits (2023)
Journal Article
Lima, A. L. D., Rocha, P. M., Silva, A. C., Alves Fernandes, J., & Martins, C. A. (2023). Interchangeable Biomass Fuels for Paper-Based Microfluidic Fuel Cells: Finding Their Power Density Limits. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 15(9), 11895–11905. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c23192

Paper batteries are self-pumping emerging tools for powering portable analytical systems. These disposable energy converters must be low-cost and must achieve enough energy to power electronic devices. The challenge is reaching high energy while keep... Read More about Interchangeable Biomass Fuels for Paper-Based Microfluidic Fuel Cells: Finding Their Power Density Limits.

Host–Guest Chemistry in Boron Nitride Nanotubes: Interactions with Polyoxometalates and Mechanism of Encapsulation (2022)
Journal Article
Jordan, J. W., Chernov, A. I., Rance, G. A., Stephen Davies, E., Lanterna, A. E., Alves Fernandes, J., Grüneis, A., Ramasse, Q., Newton, G. N., & Khlobystov, A. N. (2023). Host–Guest Chemistry in Boron Nitride Nanotubes: Interactions with Polyoxometalates and Mechanism of Encapsulation. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 145(2), 1206-1215. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2c10961

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are an emerging class of molecular container offering new functionalities and possibilities for studying molecules at the nanoscale. Herein, BNNTs are demonstrated as highly effective nanocontainers for polyoxometalate... Read More about Host–Guest Chemistry in Boron Nitride Nanotubes: Interactions with Polyoxometalates and Mechanism of Encapsulation.

Defect Etching in Carbon Nanotube Walls for Porous Carbon Nanoreactors: Implications for CO2 Sorption and the Hydrosilylation of Phenylacetylene (2022)
Journal Article
Astle, M. A., Weilhard, A., Rance, G. A., LeMercier, T. M., Stoppiello, C. T., Norman, L. T., Fernandes, J. A., & Khlobystov, A. N. (2022). Defect Etching in Carbon Nanotube Walls for Porous Carbon Nanoreactors: Implications for CO2 Sorption and the Hydrosilylation of Phenylacetylene. ACS Applied Nano Materials, 5(2), 2075-2086. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.1c03803

A method of pore fabrication in the walls of carbon nanotubes has been developed, leading to porous nanotubes that have been filled with catalysts and utilized in liquid- and gas-phase reactions. Chromium oxide nanoparticles have been utilized as hig... Read More about Defect Etching in Carbon Nanotube Walls for Porous Carbon Nanoreactors: Implications for CO2 Sorption and the Hydrosilylation of Phenylacetylene.

A high-throughput, solvent free method for dispersing metal atoms directly onto supports (2021)
Journal Article
Kohlrausch, E. C., Centurion, H. A., Lodge, R. W., Luo, X., Slater, T., Santos, M. J. L., Ling, S., Mastelaro, V. R., Cliffe, M. J., Goncalves, R. V., & Alves Fernandes, J. (2021). A high-throughput, solvent free method for dispersing metal atoms directly onto supports. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 9(47), 26676-26679. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ta08372d

Atomically-dispersed metal catalysts (ADMCs) on surfaces have demonstrated high activity and selectivity in many catalytic reactions. However, dispersing and stabilising individual atoms in support materials in an atom/energy-efficient scalable way s... Read More about A high-throughput, solvent free method for dispersing metal atoms directly onto supports.

Continuous‐Flow Synthesis of Orange Emitting Sn(II)‐Doped CsBr Materials (2021)
Journal Article
Das Adhikari, S., Masi, S., Echeverría‐Arrondo, C., Miralles‐Comins, S., Sánchez, R. S., Fernandes, J. A., Chirvony, V., Martínez‐Pastor, J. P., Sans, V., & Mora‐Seró, I. (2021). Continuous‐Flow Synthesis of Orange Emitting Sn(II)‐Doped CsBr Materials. Advanced Optical Materials, 9(21), Article 2101024. https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202101024

An ongoing demand toward lead-free all-inorganic cesium metal halide perovskites has presented Sn(II) as an ideal substitute of Pb(II) for applications in optoelectronic devices. The major concern regarding Sn(II) is the instability due to the ambien... Read More about Continuous‐Flow Synthesis of Orange Emitting Sn(II)‐Doped CsBr Materials.

Selective suppression of {112} anatase facets by fluorination for enhanced TiO2 particle size and phase stability at elevated temperatures (2021)
Journal Article
Kohlrausch, E. C., Dos Reis, R., Lodge, R. W., Vicente, I., Brolo, A. G., Dupont, J., Alves Fernandes, J., & Santos, M. J. L. (2021). Selective suppression of {112} anatase facets by fluorination for enhanced TiO2 particle size and phase stability at elevated temperatures. Nanoscale Advances, 3(21), 6223-6230. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1na00528f

Generally, anatase is the most desirable TiO2 polymorphic phase for photovoltaic and photocatalytic applications due to its higher photoconductivity and lower recombination rates compared to the rutile phase. However, in applications where temperatur... Read More about Selective suppression of {112} anatase facets by fluorination for enhanced TiO2 particle size and phase stability at elevated temperatures.

Blurring the Boundary between Homogenous and Heterogeneous Catalysis using Palladium Nanoclusters with Dynamic Surfaces (2021)
Journal Article
Cano, I., Weilhard, A., Martin, C., Pinto, J., Lodge, R. W., Santos, A. R., Rance, G. A., Åhlgren, E. H., Jónsson, E., Yuan, J., Li, Z. Y., Licence, P., Khlobystov, A. N., & Fernandes, J. A. (2021). Blurring the Boundary between Homogenous and Heterogeneous Catalysis using Palladium Nanoclusters with Dynamic Surfaces. Nature Communications, 12(1), Article 4965. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25263-6

Using a magnetron sputtering approach that allows size-controlled formation of nanoclusters, we have created palladium nanoclusters that combine the features of both heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts. Here we report the atomic structures and el... Read More about Blurring the Boundary between Homogenous and Heterogeneous Catalysis using Palladium Nanoclusters with Dynamic Surfaces.

Decoupling manufacturing from application in additive manufactured antimicrobial materials (2021)
Journal Article
Wales, D. J., Miralles-Comins, S., Franco-Castillo, I., Cameron, J. M., Cao, Q., Karjalainen, E., Alves Fernandes, J., Newton, G. N., Mitchell, S. G., & Sans, V. (2021). Decoupling manufacturing from application in additive manufactured antimicrobial materials. Biomaterials Science, 9(16), 5397-5406. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1bm00430a

3D printable materials based on polymeric ionic liquids (PILs) capable of controlling the synthesis and stabilisation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and their synergistic antimicrobial activity are reported. The interaction of the ionic liquid moiet... Read More about Decoupling manufacturing from application in additive manufactured antimicrobial materials.

Revealing the true impact of interstitial and substitutional nitrogen doping in TiO2 on photoelectrochemical applications (2021)
Journal Article
Khan, S., Lemes Ruwer, T., Khan, N., Köche, A., Lodge, R. W., Coelho-Júnior, H., Sommer, R. L., Leite Santos, M. J., Malfatti, C. F., Bergmann, C. P., & Fernandes, J. A. (2021). Revealing the true impact of interstitial and substitutional nitrogen doping in TiO2 on photoelectrochemical applications. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 9(20), 12214-12224. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0ta11494d

Application of photocatalysts that strongly absorb within the visible range is a common strategy to improve the efficiency of photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems; this may translate to high photocurrents, but it is not always the case. Here, we show t... Read More about Revealing the true impact of interstitial and substitutional nitrogen doping in TiO2 on photoelectrochemical applications.

Porous hollow TiO2 microparticles for photocatalysis: exploiting novel ABC triblock terpolymer templates synthesised in supercritical CO2 (2021)
Journal Article
Larder, R. R., Bennett, T. M., Blankenship, L. S., Alves Fernandes, J., Husband, B. K., Atkinson, R. L., Derry, M. J., Thomas William Toolan, D., Centurion, H. A., Topham, P. D., Vitalino Goncalves, R., Taresco, V., & Howdle, S. M. (2021). Porous hollow TiO2 microparticles for photocatalysis: exploiting novel ABC triblock terpolymer templates synthesised in supercritical CO2. Polymer Chemistry, 12(19), 2904-2913. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1py00334h

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) mediated dispersion polymerisation in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) is an efficient and green method for synthesising block copolymer microparticles with internal nanostructures. Here we... Read More about Porous hollow TiO2 microparticles for photocatalysis: exploiting novel ABC triblock terpolymer templates synthesised in supercritical CO2.