University Reader: Joint appointment: Department of Chemistry and BP Institute

Email: stuart@bpi.cam.ac.uk

Research interests

Our research interests cover a wide range of problems in colloid and interface science from adsorption of molecules to solid surfaces from liquids to the structure and behaviour of particles in complex fluids.
In the area of biomedical applications we are keen to exploit the surface science methods we have developed for biomedical questions. So far we have aimed to make bio-medically relevant substrates accessible to powerful techniques like neutron reflection (including Ti, Fe, Ni, Cu etc.) and sum frequency spectroscopy (SFG) and have already adsorbed a variety of polymers (including bio-polymers gelatin, heparin, alginates) and small molecules (surfactants and lipids). In addition adsorbed layers can be studied in air, under water or oil and under applied shear.

Key publications

Collection of papers initiating the use of neutron reflection for the study of molecular adsorption to a number of engineering surfaces. (Others with work on Titanium and others to be published shortly).   The adsorbates include bio-polymers gelatin, heparin, alginates and small molecule surfactants and lipids. These adsorbed layers can be studied in air, under water or oil, and under applied shear.

Welbourn R, Lee SY, Gutfreund P, Hughes A, Zarbakhsh A, Clarke SM. (2015) Neutron reflection study of the adsorption of the phosphate surfactant NaDEHP onto alumina from water.  Langmuir. 31, 150311103654002

Campana M,  Teichert A, Clarke S, Steitz R, Webster R, Zarbakhsh A. (2011) Surfactant lubricant at the metal-oil interface. Langmuir. 27 (10) 6085-6090

Stocker I N, Miller KL, Welbourn RJL, Clarke SM, Collins IR,  Kinane C, Gutfreund P (2014) Adsorption of Aerosol-OT at the calcite/water interface – comparison of the sodium and calcium salts’. JCIS. 418C,  140-146.

Wood MH, Clarke SM, Casford MT, Zarbakhsh A, Welbourn RJL,  Charlton T (2013) Hexadecylamine adsorption at the iron oxide-oil interface. Langmuir. 29 (45), 13735–13742  .

Lee SY, Welbourn R, Clarke SM, Skoda M, Clifton L , Zarbakhsh A. (2013) Adsorption of sodium hexanoate on α-Alumina. Coll. And Interface Sci. 407, 348-353.

Areas of expertise

adsorbtion and adsorbents, scattering, interace science, graphite, neutron scattering, colloid dispersion, x-ray scattering