I became a lecturer in Chemical Sciences in September 2014, at the Faculty of Science, UBD. Before that, I completed a four year undergraduate degree in Chemistry (MChem) at the University of Oxford. Then I continued to do a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Warwick under the supervision of Professor Richard Walton. The title of my PhD was ‘Characterisation of Mixed-Metal Oxides by Hydrothermal Synthesis’. I synthesised different metal oxides using the hydrothermal method, focusing particularly on perovskites and doped titanium dioxide. These materials have interesting electronic and catalytic properties that can be potentially used in applications such as memory storage devices and hydrogen production via the splitting of water. By using hydrothermal synthesis, control on the crystal size, morphology and phase purity was achieved. The structure and properties of these materials were also studied using various characterisation techniques such as X-ray and neutron powder diffraction, electron microscopy, XANES, XPS, Raman and IR spectroscopy.
Synthesis and characterisation of mixed metal oxides
Hydrothermal synthesis, solid state materials
1) Spontaneous formation of circular and vortex ferroelectric domain structure in hexagonal YMnO3 and YMn0.9Fe0.1O3 prepared by low temperature solution synthesis, M.H. Harunsani, J. Li, Y.B. Qin, H.T. Tian, J.Q. Li, H.X. Yang and R.I. Walton, Applied Physics Letters, 107 (2015), 6, 062905
2) Control of Chemical State of Cerium in Doped Anatase TiO2 by Solvothermal Synthesis and its Application in Photocatalytic Water Reduction, J. Fonseca de Lima, M.H. Harunsani, D.J. Martin, D. Kong, P.W. Dunne, D. Gianolio, R.J. Kashtiban, J. Sloan, O.A. Serra, J. Tang and R.I. Walton, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 3 (2015), 18, 9890-9898
3) An Investigation of Zr Doping in NaBiTi2O6 Perovskite by Direct Hydrothermal Synthesis, M.H. Harunsani, D.I. Woodward, P.A. Thomas and R.I. Walton, Dalton Transactions, 44 (2015), 23, 10714-10720
4) Investigation of Some New Hydro(solvo)thermal Synthesis Routes to Nanostructured Mixed-Metal Oxides, D.L. Burnett, M.H. Harunsani, R. J. Kashtiban, H.Y. Playford, J. Sloan, A.C. Hannon and R.I. Walton, Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 214 (2014), 30–37
5) Investigation of the hydrothermal crystallisation of the perovskite solid solution NaCe1−xLaxTi2O6 and its defect chemistry, M.H. Harunsani, D.I. Woodward, M.D. Peel, S.E. Ashbrook and R.I. Walton, Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 207 (2013), 117-125
1) Electronic and Structural Properties of SnxTi1-xO2 (0.0≤ x≤ 0.1) Solid Solutions, MH Harunsani, FE Oropeza, RG Palgrave, RG Egdell, Chemistry of Materials, 22 (2010), 4, 1551-1558
2) Control of Chemical State of Cerium in Doped Anatase TiO2 by Solvothermal Synthesis and its Application in Photocatalytic Water Reduction, J. Fonseca de Lima, M.H. Harunsani, D.J. Martin, D. Kong, P.W. Dunne, D. Gianolio, R.J. Kashtiban, J. Sloan, O.A. Serra, J. Tang and R.I. Walton, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 3 (2015), 18, 9890-9898
3) Spontaneous formation of circular and vortex ferroelectric domain structure in hexagonal YMnO3 and YMn0.9Fe0.1O3 prepared by low temperature solution synthesis, M.H. Harunsani, J. Li, Y.B. Qin, H.T. Tian, J.Q. Li, H.X. Yang and R.I. Walton, Applied Physics Letters, 107 (2015), 6, 062905
4) Investigation of Some New Hydro(solvo)thermal Synthesis Routes to Nanostructured Mixed-Metal Oxides, D.L. Burnett, M.H. Harunsani, R. J. Kashtiban, H.Y. Playford, J. Sloan, A.C. Hannon and R.I. Walton, Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 214 (2014), 30–37
5) Investigation of the hydrothermal crystallisation of the perovskite solid solution NaCe1−xLaxTi2O6 and its defect chemistry, M.H. Harunsani, D.I. Woodward, M.D. Peel, S.E. Ashbrook and R.I. Walton, Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 207 (2013), 117-125
6 Research Articles
Total Publications: 7
1. Phthalate Sample Preparation Methods and Analysis in Food and Food Packaging: a Review, Food Analytical Methods
2. Spontaneous formation of circular and vortex ferroelectric domain structure in hexagonal YMnO<inf>3</inf> and YMn<inf>0.9</inf>Fe<inf>0.1</inf>O<inf>3</inf> prepared by low temperature solution synthesis, Applied Physics Letters
3. An investigation of Zr doping in NaBiTi<inf>2</inf>O<inf>6</inf> perovskite by direct hydrothermal synthesis, Dalton Transactions
4. Control of chemical state of cerium in doped anatase TiO<inf>2</inf> by solvothermal synthesis and its application in photocatalytic water reduction, Journal of Materials Chemistry A
5. Investigation of some new hydro(solvo)thermal synthesis routes to nanostructured mixed-metal oxides, Journal of Solid State Chemistry
6. Investigation of the hydrothermal crystallisation of the perovskite solid solution NaCe
7. Electronic and Structural Properties of Sn
