While the work is rooted in fundamental science we are also interested in moving the results of our research into the real world. For example, our spin-out company, Avalon Instruments, which manufactured high performance benchtop Raman spectrometers grew to be a multi-million dollar business before being sold to a multinational scientific instrument company in 2006.

We are also involved in the QUB anti-microbial network, QUBAN.

Raman Spectroscopy

We have worked on making Raman spectroscopy a quantitative analytical technique for more than 2 decades, taking advantage of Raman’s unique advantages to study the structure and composition of molecular materials. We have a particular interest in developing techniques suitable for analysing challenging real world samples including in forensic casework, foodstuffs, biological tissue and pharmaceuticals. Even within forensic analysis, samples range from drugs of abuse through inks and dyes to paints, gunshot residue and improvised explosives. Our recent work on novel psychoactive substances (“legal highs”) attracted national and international TV, radio and press coverage.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-35719203

http://www.euronews.com/2016/04/28/legal-and-lethal-the-rise-in-deaths-from-new-wave-drugs

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/catching-up-with-legal-highs/9433.article

Louise Jones and Steven Bell posing with Mr David Ford M.L.A., Minister of Justice on his visit to our lab to discuss novel psychoactive substances.

Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

Our main interest in SERS is in understanding how the interactions between the targets molecules and enhancing surface influence the resultant signal, since this underpins our work on developing methods that allow SERS to be used as a quantitative technique. We have been particularly successful in using SERS to study DNA but our work extends to illicit and therapeutic drugs, bacteria, anthrax spores and even e-liquids for electronic cigarettes. 

The set of E-liquids used to test our method for nicotine analysis using SERS.

Deposited layer of SERS-active Ag nanoparticles.

Nanostructured Materials

We are interested in assembling nanomaterials into larger meso- and macroscopic materials which retain the properties of the nanostructured components. These are typically based on metal nanoparticles of various shapes and sizes and range from materials suitable for cancer theranostics to catalytically active sheets of particles or nanoparticle clusters preserved in swellable polymer film hosts.

Cartoon representation of a surface-exposed nanoparticle sheet (SENS).

Superhydrophobic Materials

The QUB electroless deposition method for preparing SHP materials has now been widely adopted as the most straightforward method for creating superhydrophobic materials whose water repellance is near the theoretical limit. These have been used to explore the fundamental properties of superhydrophobic materials but also can be used to for more practical applications such as increasing flow rates in pipes, improving the efficiency of heat transfer systems, preparing liquid marbles, allowing microplet manipulation etc.

Our artificial pond skater with superhydrophobic copper legs.

Research Group

Group get together Christmas 2016

1. Ultra-Stable Plasmonic Colloidal Aggregates for Accurate and Reproducible Quantitative SE(R)RS in Protein-Rich Biomedia. Ye, Ziwei; Li, Chunchun; Chen, Qinglu; Xu, Yikai; Bell, Steven. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English), Vol. 131, No. 2-8, Early online date 06.11.2019.

2. A one-pot method for building colloidal nanoparticles into bulk dry powders with nanoscale magnetic, plasmonic and catalytic functionalities.  Ye, Ziwei; Li, Chunchun; Skillen, Nathan; Xu, Yikai; McCabe, Hannah; Kelly, Jessica; Robertson, Peter; Bell, Steven. Applied Materials Today, Vol. 15, No. Special Issue Plasmonics, 15.03.2019, p. 398-404.

3. Present and Future of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering. Langer, J; Jimenez de Aberasturi, D; Aizpurua, J; Alvarez-Puebla, R; Auguié, B; Baumberg, JJ; Bazan, GC; Bell, SEJ et al, ACS Nano, Early online date 8.10.19, doi: 10.1021/acsnano.9b04224.

4. Towards Reliable and Quantitative SERS: from Key Parameters to Good Analytical Practice, Schlücker, S; Bell, SEJ;  Charron, G;  Cortés, E; Kneipp, J;  Lamy de la Chapelle, M; Langer, J; Procházka, M;  Tran, V. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English). First published: 07 October 2019 https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.201908154

5. Production and testing of novel photocatalytic TiO2 surface-exposed nanoparticle (TiO2-SEN) thin plastic films. M cNeill, Aaron; Wells, Nathan; Xu, Yikai; Li, Xinyuan; Bell, Steven E. J.; Mills, Andrew. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry, Vol. 369, 15.01.2019, p. 142-149.

6. Novel nanosuspension-based dissolving microneedle arrays for transdermal delivery of a hydrophobic drug. K, Vora Lalit; R., Vavia Pradeep; Eneko, Larrañeta; E.J., Bell Steven; F., Donnelly Ryan. Journal of Interdisciplinary Nanomedicine, Vol. 3, No. 2, 27.06.2018, p. 89-101.

7. Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for the Detection of a Metabolic Product in the Headspace Above Live Bacterial Cultures. Kelly, Jessica; Patrick, Robin; Patrick, Sheila; Bell, Steven E. J. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 05.10.2018.

8. Pressing Solids Directly Into Sheets of Plasmonic Nanojunctions Enables Solvent-Free Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy. Xu, Yikai; Ye, Ziwei; Li, Chunchun; McCabe, Hannah; Kelly, Jessica; Bell, Steven E. J. Applied Materials Today, Vol. 13, 2018, p. 352-358.

9. Exploiting the Chemical Differences Between Ag and Au Colloids Allows Dramatically Improved SERS Detection of “Non-adsorbing” Molecules. Y e, Ziwei; Li, Chunchun; Xu, Yikai; Bell, Steven. Analyst, Early online date 22.10.2018.

10. Swellable polymer films containing Au nanoparticles for point-of-care therapeutic drug monitoring using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. L ee, Wendy W Y; McCoy, Colin P.; Donnelly, Ryan F.; Bell, Steven E J. Analytica Chimica Acta, Vol. 912, 17.03.2017, p. 111-116.

11. Rapid One-Pot Preparation of Large Freestanding Nanoparticle Polymer Films. X u, Yikai; Konrad, Magdalena P.; Trotter, Johann L.; McCoy, Colin P.; Bell, Steven E. J. Small, Vol. 13, No. 2, 11.01.2017.

12. High dilution surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for rapid determination of nicotine in e-liquids for electronic cigarettes. I toh, Nobayasu; Bell, Steven E. J. The Analyst, Vol. 142, 21.02.2017, p. 994-998.

13. SERS and SERRS Detection of the DNA Lesion 8-Nitroguanine: a Self-Labeling Modification. D ick, Susan; Bell, Steven E. J.; Alexander, Katie J.; O'Neil, Dr. Ian A. ; Cosstick, Prof. Richard . Chemistry - A European Journal, Vol. 23, No. 44, 04.08.2017, p. 10663-10669.

14. Quantitative Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy of Single Bases in Oligodeoxynucleotides. B ell, Steven; Dick, Susan.  Faraday Discussions, 31.05.2017.

15. Supramolecular Low-Molecular-Weight Hydrogelator Stabilization of SERS-Active Aggregated Nanoparticles for Solution and Gas Sensing. C anrinus, Tjalling; Lee, Wendy; Feringa, Ben; Bell, Steven; Browne, Wesley. Langmuir, Vol. 35, No. 33, 03.07.2017, p. 8805–8812.

16. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of novel psychoactive substances using polymer-stabilized Ag nanoparticle aggregates. L ee, W. W. Y.; Silverson, V. A. D.; Jones, L. E.; Ho, Y. C. ; Fletcher, N. C.; McNaul, M.; Peters, K. L.; Speers, S. J.; Bell, S. E. J. Chemical Communications, Vol. 52, 2016, p. 493-496.

17. Analysis of friction factor reduction in turbulent water flow using a superhydrophobic coating. W alker, Gavin M; Albadarin, Ahmad B.; McGlue, Adam; Brennan, Steven; Bell, Steven. Progress in Organic Coatings, Vol. 90, 01.2016, p. 472-476.

18. Infrared and Raman screening of seized novel psychoactive substances: A large scale study of >200 samples. J ones, L. E.; Stewart, A.; Peters, K. L.; McNaul, M.; Speers, S. J.; Fletcher, N. C.; Bell, Steven. Analyst, Vol. 141, 08.01.2016, p. 902-909.

19. Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy as a Probe of the Surface Chemistry of Nanostructured Materials. D ick, Susan; Konrad, Magdalena P.; Lee, Wendy W. Y.; Mccabe, Hannah; Mccracken, John N.; Rahman, Taifur M. D.; Stewart, Alan; Xu, Yikai; Bell, Steven E. J. Advanced Materials, Vol. 28, No. 27, 29.01.2016, p. 5705-5711.

20. Raman Analysis of Dilute Aqueous Samples by Localized Evaporation of Submicroliter Droplets on the Tips of Superhydrophobic Copper Wires. C heung, Melody; Lee, Wendy W Y; McCracken, John N.; Larmour, Iain A.; Brennan, Steven; Bell, Steven E J. Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 88, No. 8, 19.04.2016, p. 4541-4547.

21. Investigation of the chemical origin and evidential value of differences in the SERS spectra of blue gel inks. H o, Yen Cheng; Lee, Wendy; Bell, Steven. The Analyst, Vol. 141, No. 17, 07.09.2016, p. 5152-5158.

22. SERS of meso-droplets supported on superhydrophobic wires allows exquisitely sensitive detection of dipicolinic acid, an anthrax biomarker, considerably below the infective dose. C heung, Melody; Lee, Wendy W. Y.; Cowcher, David P.; Goodacre, Royston; Bell, Steven E. J. Chemical Communications, Vol. 52, No. 64, 2016, p. 9925-9928.

23. A Method for Promoting Assembly of Metallic and Nonmetallic Nanoparticles into Interfacial Monolayer Films. X u, Yikai; Konrad, Magdalena P.; Lee, Wendy W. Y.; Ye, Ziwei; Bell, Steven E. J. Nano Letters, Vol. 16, No. 8, 25.07.2016, p. 5255-5260.