Richard Nichols Group Members
Contact details can be found HERE
Principle Investigator
Richard J. Nichols is a Professor of Physical Chemistry at Liverpool University. He is an expert in the field of scanning probe microscopy, particularly as applied to in-situ electrochemical measurements. He has over 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals, many of which involve the application and development of probe microscopy techniques. His key area of research from 2001 has been in developing single molecule measurement techniques using the scanning tunnelling microscope (STM), in particular for the measurement of electrical properties. Professor Nichols is a Fellow of the International Society of Electrochemistry.
PhD Student
I graduated with a MChem in Chemistry with Research In Industry in 2008. In the 3rd year of my degree, I worked at ALcontrol Laboratories in Hawarden near Chester, where my project included developing a new GC-MS method for analysing phenols in environmental samples. I continued to work here part time during the final year of my MChem as a GC-MS analyst. My MChem project was with Dr. Thanh at Liverpool and involved synthesising Co magnetic nanoparticles by pulsed laser irradiation. This work was published in J. Phys. Chem. C in 2009.
I am currently in my 3rd year of a PhD in the Nichols group. My current research involves measuring the single molecule conductance of molecular wires in an ionic liquid medium.
PhD Student
In 2010 I graduated from the University of Liverpool with a MChem. During my 3rd and 4th years as an undergraduate I worked with the Nichols group using cyclic voltammetry to investigate various thiol monolayers on gold and nickel. This work provided me with a good foundation for my PhD within the same group, during which I have had the opportunity to take advantage of various other analytical techniques, such as PM-IRRAS and STM. The aim of my work is to investigate single molecule spintronic systems using ionic liquids, from the start of their formation, i.e. from metal deposition all the way through to single molecule measurements.
During my free time I enjoy cooking, knitting, and going for walks.
PhD Student
I am working jointly with Professor Andrew Cooper and Professor Richard Nichols and the fuel cell company Acal Energy on the electrochemistry of a novel fuel cell system.
PhD Student
I am working jointly with Professor Chris Lucas and Professor Richard Nichols on studying electrocatalysis at noble metals and their alloys using in-situ x-ray diffraction and STM.