Martin Hollamby

Biography

I am a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. My research interests lie in molecular self-assembly, and in the use of small-angle scattering techniques to probe the structure and dynamics of nanosized structures. I teach a range of topics within physical and colloidal chemistry. I have particular interest in inclusivity and in the development of students’ practical and professional skills.

Before Keele, I first spent 7 years at the University of Bristol, where I received my undergraduate master’s degree and doctorate. For the latter, I worked in the group of Prof. Julian Eastoe, studying surfactant chemistry and the use of small-angle neutron scattering to probe nanosized self-assembled structures.

After graduating in 2009, I moved to the Max-Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam-Golm, Germany, to work as a postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Helmuth Möhwald on the development of self-healing corrosion-resistant coatings. In 2011 I received a JSPS postdoctoral fellowship to work in the National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan with Dr Takashi Nakanishi, and subsequently became a researcher in the International Center for Young Scientists at the same institute, researching the synthesis, characterisation and application of organic "hydrophobic amphiphiles" for organic electronics. 

Research and scholarship

I’m particularly interested in the molecular self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules that are capable of forming useful structures and materials. Previously, this has concerned more conventional surfactants (i.e. detergent molecules), their development for low polarity solvents such as liquid CO2, and their use in templating nanoparticles and mesoporous solids.

More recently, I've been focussed on a group of so-called "hydrophobic amphiphiles", which are asymmetric molecules that have both aliphatic and π-conjugated parts. Using principles adopted from surfactant chemistry, with additives that favour either part, we have shown that these molecules can be driven to reversibly self-assemble into useful shapes, such as wires or sheets. Due to the proximity of the electron-rich π-conjugated parts these assemblies may conduct charge and may therefore find use in organic electronic devices, (e.g. transistors, solar cells, light emitting diodes), which have the potential to be flexible and foldable, as well as being cheaper to produce than those made using high purity silicon (e.g. Figure 1) [1],[2].

Figure 1: Directed self-assembly of hydrophobic amphiphilic molecules to form charge-carrying materials.  

My second research interest lies in the use of small-angle scattering techniques with neutrons (SANS) and/or X-rays (SAXS) to probe the structure and dynamics of nanosized structures [3]. These techniques are typically carried out at large government-owned facilities, such as ISIS or Diamond near Didcot, UK and represent a powerful way to resolve bulk-averaged nanometre-sized structures in-situ. I use these methods to characterise my own molecular assemblies (e.g. above), but also collaboratively with other national and international groups. The latter has included commercially relevant surfactant solutions [4] and zeolites [paper in submission]; intricate structures formed by supramolecular polymerisation (e.g. [5],[6]); and the impact of metal salts on the microstructure of gelatin foams [7].

I’m always open to new collaborations, so if you are keen to use SAXS or SANS to learn more about your systems, please get in touch using the contact details above.

References:

[1]    Hollamby, M. J.; Smith, C. J.; Britton, M. M.; Danks, A. E.; Schnepp, Z.; Grillo, I.; Pauw, B. R.; Kishimura, A.; Nakanishi, T. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2018, 20 (5), 3373–3380. 
[2]    Hollamby, M. J.; Karny, M.; Bomans, P. H. H.; Sommerdjik, N. A. J. M.; Saeki, A.; Seki, S.; Minamikawa, H.; Grillo, I.; Pauw, B. R.; Brown, P.; Eastoe, J.; Möhwald, H.; Nakanishi, T. Nat. Chem. 2014, 6 (8), 690–696. 
[3]    Hollamby, M. J. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2013, 15 (26), 10566–10579. 
[4]    Summerton, E.; Hollamby, M. J.; Zimbitas, G.; Snow, T.; Smith, A. J.; Sommertune, J.; Bettiol, J.; Jones, C.; Britton, M. M.; Bakalis, S. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2018, 527, 260–266. 
[5]    Datta, S.; Kato, Y.; Higashiharaguchi, S.; Aratsu, K.; Isobe, A.; Saito, T.; Prabhu, D. D.; Kitamoto, Y.; Hollamby, M. J.; Smith, A. J.; Dalgliesh, R.; Mahmoudi, N.; Pesce, L.; Perego, C.; Pavan, G. M.; Yagai, S. Nature 2020, 583 (7816), 400–405. 
[6]    Aratsu, K.; Takeya, R.; Pauw, B. R.; Hollamby, M. J.; Kitamoto, Y.; Shimizu, N.; Takagi, H.; Haruki, R.; Adachi, S.; Yagai, S. Nat. Commun. 2020, 11 (1), 1623. 
[7]    Danks, A. E.; Hollamby, M. J.; Hammouda, B.; Fletcher, D. C.; Johnston-Banks, F.; Rogers, S. E.; Schnepp, Z. J. Mater. Chem. A 2017, 5 (23), 11644–11651. 

Teaching

Modules that I am currently involved with:

• CHE-10061 Practical and Professional Chemistry Skills
• CHE-10063 Chemical Structure and Reactivity
• CHE-20059 Physical and Structural Chemistry (Single Honours) (Module Leader)
• CHE-20065 Physical and Structural Chemistry (Combined Honours) (Module Leader)
• CHE-30050 Chemistry/Medicinal Chemistry Research Project
• CHE-30051 Chemistry/Medicinal Chemistry Dissertation
• CHE-30056 Advanced Physical and Inorganic Chemistry
• CHE-30060 Topics in Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry (Module Leader)
• CHE-40048 Advanced Topics in Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry