Andy leads NPL’s research on the development of electrochemical techniques and their application to the fields of interfacial chemistry and catalysis.
Biography
Andy has published 60 peer-reviewed papers (h-index: 28) and 3 book chapters. In 2013 he achieved chartered chemist (CChem) status and in 2015 he was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). In 2020, Andy became a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (FIMMM).
Andy received a Master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Oxford in 2003 and was awarded his doctorate in 2006 for research on electrochemical electron spin resonance spectroscopy at the same institution. He then spent two years as a postdoctoral research associate at California State University Los Angeles, where he focused on novel electrochemical approaches to studying bio-molecule modified interfaces. Andy has worked at NPL since 2008.
Areas of Interest
Andy’s research interests include electrocatalysis, heterogeneous catalysis and electrochemical energy storage. His work aims to support industry through a suite of state-of-the-art tools for characterising catalyst and electrode materials.
Andy has worked on a range of projects at NPL, most notably in establishing a capability for electrochemical imaging at a range of length scales. A major challenge in this area has been nanoscale resolution mapping using combined electrochemical-topographical scanning probe techniques. A more recent focus has been the development of novel approaches to in situ and operando molecular vibrational spectroscopy (FTIR, Raman and surface-enhanced techniques) and their application to energy conversion and storage materials.
Email Andy Wain
Selected publications
1. The Role of Tungsten Oxide in the Enhancement of Carbon Monoxide Tolerance of Platinum-based Hydrogen Oxidation Catalysis, D.W.G. Stewart, K. Scott, A.J. Wain, T.E. Rosser, E. Brightman, D. Macphee, M. Mamlouk, ACS Appl. Mater. Inter. 12, 37079–37091 (2020)
2. Nanoscale chemical imaging using tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, N. Kumar, B.M. Weckhuysen, A.J. Wain, A.J. Pollard, Nature Protocols 14, 1169-1193 (2019)
3. Nanoscale Chemical Imaging of a Single Catalyst Particle with Tip‑Enhanced Fluorescence Microscopy, N. Kumar, S. Kalirai, A.J. Wain, B.M. Weckhuysen, ChemCatChem 11, 417-423 (2019)
4. Insights into Self-Poisoning during Catalytic Hydrogenation on Platinum Surfaces Using ATR-IR Spectroelectrochemistry, A.J. Wain, M.A. O’Connell, G. Attard, ACS Catalysis 8, 3561−3570 (2018)
5. Advances in surface-enhanced vibrational spectroscopy at electrochemical interfaces, A.J. Wain and M.A. O’Connell, Advances in Physics: X 2, 188-209 (2017)
6. Nanoscale Mapping of Catalytic Activity Using Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, N. Kumar, B. Stephanidis, R. Zenobi, A.J. Wain and D. Roy, Nanoscale 7, 7133–7137 (2015)
7. Combined Electrochemical-Topographical Imaging: A Critical Review, M.A. O’Connell, A.J. Wain, Anal. Methods 7, 6983-6999 (2015)
8. Electrochemical Imaging of Hydrogen Peroxide Generation at Individual Gold Nanoparticles, M.A. O’Connell, J.R. Lewis and A.J. Wain, Chem. Commun. 51, 10314-10317 (2015)
9. Electrochemistry at Nanoelectrodes, A. J. Wain in J. D. Wadhawan, R. G. Compton (eds), Specialist Periodical Reports: Electrochemistry Volume 12, RSC, Cambridge, Chapter 2 (2013)