MrSteele Aburrow

Dr Aburrow's work centres on the study of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed on bulk and nanocluster (NC) surfaces using atom probe tomography (APT) and electrochemistry. Recent advances in sample preparation, namely, graphene encapsulation, have enabled analysis of solid–liquid interfaces for SAMs on both bulk and NC surfaces. These results extend APT capabilities beyond vacuum conditions to reveal nanoscale interfacial chemistry and quantify desorption energetics in both vacuum and liquid environments that mimic electrochemical conditions (e.g., aqueous electrolytes with controlled pH and ion concentrations).​ This correlation between APT and electrochemistry (e.g., cyclic voltammetry) advances materials design for electrocatalysis and biosensing. This multidisciplinary platform overcomes limitations of electrochemical studies, which infer products indirectly from oxidation/reduction peaks, by enabling direct 3D atomic detection of interfacial species in solution-dispersed materials detected via APT.