Professor Mark Symes
- Professor of Electrochemistry and Electrochemical Technology (School of Chemistry)
telephone:
(+44) (0)141 330 4416
email:
Mark.Symes@glasgow.ac.uk
C5-05, Chemistry, Joseph Black Building, G12 8QQ
Biography
I am a Royal Society University Research Fellow (2016-2021) in the School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow.
I obtained a PhD in supramolecular chemistry from the University of Edinburgh (2005-2009, with Prof. David A. Leigh, FRS) and subsequently undertook postdoctoral work at MIT with Prof. Daniel Nocera (2009-2010), conducting electrochemical and photochemical studies on models of cobalt oxy-hydroxide water-oxidising catalysts.
After returning to the UK, I joined the group of Prof. Lee Cronin at the University of Glasgow (Nov. 2010 - Sept. 2013), during which time I developed new systems for the overall electrolysis of water. From October 2013 to September 2016, I held a Kelvin Smith Fellowship at the University of Glasgow, which allowed me to establish my own independent research group focusing on electrochemistry and energy conversion.
I was elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh's Young Academy of Scotland in August 2016, and I am currently the Chair of the RSC Electrochemistry Interest Group committee (having previously been the secretary of the same, 2017-2019). I was part of the organizing committee for the 2019 installment of the RSC Electrochemistry Group's flagship conference, "Electrochem".
I am also currently the secretary of the Glasgow and West of Scotland local section of the RSC, and heavily involved in public outreach through this. I have been on the editorial board of Nature Publishing Group's Scientific Reports since 2014 as an expert in electrochemistry.
Research interests
- electrochemical water splitting
- electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction
- electrosynthesis
- sonoelectrochemistry,vphotoelectrochemistry
- electrochemical small molecule activation
- electrocatalysis
Further information on my group's research interests can be found on our website.
Research units
Publications
Selected publications
Lydon, C., Sabi, M.M., Symes, M.D. , Long, D.L. , Murrie, M. , Yoshii, S., Nojiri, H. and Cronin, L. (2012) Directed assembly of nanoscale Co(II)-substituted {Co9[P2W15]3} and {Co14[P2W15]4} polyoxometalates. Chemical Communications, 48(79), pp. 9819-9821. (doi: 10.1039/c2cc34865a)
Barran, P.E., Cole, H.L., Goldup, S.M., Leigh, D.A., McGonigal, P.R., Symes, M.D. , Wu, J. and Zengerle, M. (2011) Active-metal template synthesis of a molecular trefoil knot. Angewandte Chemie (International Edition), 50(51), pp. 12280-12284. (doi: 10.1002/anie.201105012)
Bloor, L. G., Solarska, R., Bienkowski, K., Kulesza, P. J., Augustynski, J., Symes, M. D. and Cronin, L. (2016) Solar-driven water oxidation and decoupled hydrogen production mediated by an electron-coupled-proton buffer. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 138(21), pp. 6707-6710. (doi: 10.1021/jacs.6b03187) (PMID:27159121) (PMCID:PMC5033397)
Symes, M.D. , Surendranath, Y., Lutterman, D.A. and Nocera, D.G. (2011) Bidirectional and unidirectional PCET in a molecular model of a cobalt-based oxygen-evolving catalyst. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 133(14), pp. 5174-5177. (doi: 10.1021/ja110908v)
Cioncoloni, G., Senn, H. M. , Sproules, S. , Wilson, C. and Symes, M. (2016) The electronic and solvatochromic properties of [Co(L)(bipyridine)2]+ (L = o-catecholato, o-benzenedithiolato) species: a combined experimental and computational study. Dalton Transactions, 45(39), pp. 15575-15585. (doi: 10.1039/C6DT02807A)
Symes, M.D. and Cronin, L. (2011) The crystal computer - computing with inorganic cellular frameworks and nets. International Journal of Nanotechnology and Molecular Computation, 3(1), pp. 24-34. (doi: 10.4018/jnmc.2011010103)
Shipman, M. A. and Symes, M. D. (2017) Recent progress towards the electrosynthesis of ammonia from sustainable resources. Catalysis Today, 286, pp. 57-68. (doi: 10.1016/j.cattod.2016.05.008)
Symes, M. D. , Lutterman, D. A., Teets, T. S., Anderson, B. L., Breen, J. J. and Nocera, D. G. (2013) Photo-active cobalt cubane model of an oxygen-evolving catalyst. Chemsuschem, 6(1), pp. 65-69. (doi: 10.1002/cssc.201200682)
Roger, I. and Symes, M. D. (2017) Silver leakage from Ag/AgCl reference electrodes as a potential cause of interference in the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 9(1), pp. 472-478. (doi: 10.1021/acsami.6b13438) (PMID:27996241)
Musumeci, C., Rosnes, M.H., Giannazzo, F., Symes, M.D. , Cronin, L. and Pignataro, B. (2011) Smart high-κ nanodielectrics using solid supported polyoxometalate-rich nanostructures. ACS Nano, 5(12), pp. 9992-9999. (doi: 10.1021/nn2037797)
Nemeth, B., Symes, M. D. , Boulay, A. G., Busche, C. , Cooper, G. J. T. , Cumming, D. R. S. and Cronin, L. (2012) Real-time ion-flux imaging in the growth of micrometer-scale structures and membranes. Advanced Materials, 24(9), pp. 1238-1242. (doi: 10.1002/adma.201104345)
Bloor, L.G., Molina-Sanchez, P.I., Symes, M. and Cronin, L. (2014) Low pH electrolytic water splitting using earth abundant metastable catalysts that self-assemble in situ. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 136(8), pp. 3304-3311. (doi: 10.1021/ja5003197)
Thiel, J., Molina-Sanchez, P.I., Symes, M.D. and Cronin, L. (2012) Insights into the self-assembly mechanism of the modular polyoxometalate "Keggin-Net" family of framework materials and their electronic properties. Crystal Growth and Design, 12(2), pp. 902-908. (doi: 10.1021/cg201342z)
Anamimoghadam, O., Symes, M. D. , Long, D. L. , Sproules, S. , Cronin, L. and Bucher, G. (2015) Electronically stabilized nonplanar phenalenyl radical and its planar isomer. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 137(47), pp. 14944-14951. (doi: 10.1021/jacs.5b07959) (PMID:26526672)
Symes, M.D. and Cronin, L. (2013) Decoupling hydrogen and oxygen evolution during electrolytic water splitting using an electron-coupled-proton buffer. Nature Chemistry, 5, pp. 403-409. (doi: 10.1038/nchem.1621)
Chen, J.-J., Symes, M. D. , Fan, S.-C., Zheng, M.-S., Miras, H. N. , Dong, Q.-F. and Cronin, L. (2015) High performance polyoxometalate-based cathode materials for rechargeable lithium ion batteries. Advanced Materials, 27(31), pp. 4649-4654. (doi: 10.1002/adma.201501088) (PMID:26177828)
Crowley, J.D., Leigh, D.A., Lusby, P.J., McBurney, R.T., Perret-Aebi, L., Petzold, C., Slawin, A.M.Z. and Symes, M.D. (2007) A switchable palladium-complexed molecular shuttle and its metastable positional isomers. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 129(48), pp. 15085-15090. (doi: 10.1021/ja076570h)
Rausch, B., Symes, M.D. and Cronin, L. (2013) A bio-inspired, small molecule electron-coupled-proton buffer for decoupling the half-reactions of electrolytic water splitting. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 135(37), pp. 13656-13659. (doi: 10.1021/ja4071893)
Roger, I. and Symes, M. D. (2016) First row transition metal catalysts for solar-driven water oxidation produced by electrodeposition. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 4(18), pp. 6724-6741. (doi: 10.1039/C5TA09423B)
Berna, J., Goldup, S.M., Lee, A., Leigh, D.A., Symes, M.D. , Teobaldi, G. and Zerbetto, F. (2008) Cadiot-Chodkiewicz active template synthesis of rotaxanes and switchable molecular shuttles with weak intercomponent interactions. Angewandte Chemie (International Edition), 47(23), pp. 4392-4396. (doi: 10.1002/anie.200800891)
Kitson, P. J., Symes, M. D. , Dragone, V. and Cronin, L. (2013) Combining 3D printing and liquid handling to produce user-friendly reactionware for chemical synthesis and purification. Chemical Science, 4(8), pp. 3099-3103. (doi: 10.1039/C3SC51253C)
Mathieson, J. S., Cooper, G. J.T. , Symes, M. and Cronin, L. (2014) Quantification of ion binding using electrospray mass spectrometry. Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers, 1, pp. 49-52. (doi: 10.1039/C3QI00037K)
Beves, J.E., Blanco, V., Blight, B.A., Carrillo, R., D'Souza, D.M., Howgego, D., Leigh, D.A., Slawin, A.M.Z. and Symes, M.D. (2014) Toward metal complexes that can directionally walk along tracks: controlled stepping of a molecular biped with a palladium(II). Journal of the American Chemical Society, 136(5), pp. 2094-2100. (doi: 10.1021/ja4123973)
Roger, I., Moca, R., Miras, H. , Crawford, K. G., Moran, D. A.J. , Ganin, A. Y. and Symes, M. D. (2017) The direct hydrothermal deposition of cobalt-doped MoS2 onto fluorine-doped SnO2 substrates for catalysis of the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 5(4), pp. 1472-1480. (doi: 10.1039/C6TA08287D)
Timmons, A. J. and Symes, M. D. (2015) Converting between the oxides of nitrogen using metal–ligand coordination complexes. Chemical Society Reviews, 44(19), pp. 6708-6722. (doi: 10.1039/C5CS00269A) (PMID:26158348)
Martinez-Cuezva, A., Pastor, A., Cioncoloni, G., Orenes, R.-A., Alajarin, M., Symes, M. D. and Berna, J. (2015) Versatile control of the submolecular motion of di(acylamino)pyridine-based [2]rotaxanes. Chemical Science, 6(5), pp. 3087-3094. (doi: 10.1039/C5SC00790A) (PMID:28706682) (PMCID:PMC5490047)
Symes, M.D., Kitson, P.J., Yan, J., Richmond, C.J., Cooper, G.J.T., Bowman, R.W., Vilbrandt, T. and Cronin, L. (2012) Integrated 3D-printed reactionware for chemical synthesis and analysis. Nature Chemistry, 4, pp. 349-354. (doi: 10.1038/nchem.1313)
Goldup, S.M., Leigh, D.A., Long, T., McGonigal, P.R., Symes, M.D. and Wu, J. (2009) Active metal template synthesis of [2]catenanes. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 131(43), pp. 15924-15929. (doi: 10.1021/ja9070317)
Symes, M. D. and Cronin, L. (2012) Materials for water splitting. In: Letcher, T. M. and Scott, J. L. (eds.) Materials for a Sustainable Future. Royal Society of Chemistry: Cambridge, pp. 592-616. ISBN 9781849734073
Symes, M.D. , Kitson, P.J., Yan, J., Richmond, C., Cooper, G.J.T. , Bowman, R.W., Vilbrandt, T. and Cronin, L. (2012) Integrated 3D-printed reactionware for chemical synthesis and analysis. Nature Chemistry, 4, pp. 349-354. (doi: 10.1038/nchem.1313)
Cereda, A., Hitchcock, A., Symes, M. D. , Cronin, L. , Bibby, T. S. and Jones, A. K. (2014) A bioelectrochemical approach to characterize extracellular electron transfer by Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. PLoS ONE, 9(3), e91484. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091484) (PMID:24637387) (PMCID:PMC3956611)
Leigh, D.A., Lusby, P., McBurney, R.T. and Symes, M.D. (2010) Improved dynamics and positional bias with a second generation palladium(II)-complexed molecular shuttle. Chemical Communications, 46(14), pp. 2382-2384. (doi: 10.1039/C001697G)
Roger, I. and Symes, M. D. (2015) Efficient electrocatalytic water oxidation at neutral and high pH by adventitious nickel at nanomolar concentrations. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 137(43), pp. 13980-13988. (doi: 10.1021/jacs.5b08139) (PMID:26477432)
Symes, M.D. and Cronin, L. (2012) Patterned metal oxide films for solar energy. Nano Energy, 1(3), pp. 340-341. (doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2012.02.002)
Rausch, B., Symes, M. D. , Chisholm, G. and Cronin, L. (2014) Decoupled catalytic hydrogen evolution from a molecular metal oxide redox mediator in water splitting. Science, 345(6202), pp. 1326-1330. (doi: 10.1126/science.1257443)
Symes, M.D. , Cogdell, R.J. and Cronin, L. (2013) Designing artificial photosynthetic devices using hybrid organic-inorganic modules based on polyoxometalates. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 371(1996), p. 20110411. (doi: 10.1098/rsta.2011.0411)
Anamimoghadam, O., Symes, M. D. , Busche, C. , Long, D.-L. , Caldwell, S. T. , Flors, C., Nonell, S., Cronin, L. and Bucher, G. (2013) Naphthoxanthenyl, a new stable phenalenyl type radical stabilized by electronic effects. Organic Letters, 15(12), pp. 2970-2973. (doi: 10.1021/ol401117g)
All publications
Grants
Supervision
Teaching
- S4i - Electrochemistry for a Sustainable Future (final year)
- 2X6 - Main Group Chemistry (second year)
Research datasets
Additional information
- Director of Internationalisation for the School of Chemistry
- Head of Inorganic Teaching