Dr Mohammad Hilni Harun Sani

Dr Hilni is a lecturer at Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, UBD. Prior to working at UBD, he completed a four year undergraduate degree in Chemistry (MChem) at the University of Oxford. Then he continued to do a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Warwick under the supervision of Professor Richard Walton. The title of his PhD thesis was ‘Characterisation of Mixed-Metal Oxides Prepared by Hydrothermal Synthesis’. Different metal oxides were synthesised 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.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Synthesis and Characterisation of Mixed Metal Oxides
Hydrothermal Synthesis, Solid state materials, Metal oxides, Nanomaterials, TItanium dioxide, Perovskites, Photocatalysis

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

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

TOP PUBLICATIONS

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

RESEARCH OUTPUTS (PATENTS, SOFTWARE, PUBLICATIONS, PRODUCTS)

10 Research Articles, 1 Book Chapter