I am interested in photochemistry and recent research interests have focussed on development of novel photocatalytic materials for environmental remediation. Together with colloborators, most notably Dr Suresh Pillai of CREST, we have instigated a novel research programme looking at these materials from theoretical underpinnings to commercial application. In particular, our research focusses on:

  • Systematic study of the factors affecting anatase to rutile transformation of titanium dioxide involving characterisation of materials using XRD, Raman and IR spectroscopy
  • Role of noble metal nanoparticles in enhancing photocatalytic activity
  • Correlation of photocatalytic activity with photophysical activity
  • Generation of surface active materials for commercial application

Publications

(Underlined names are undergraduate student researchers.)

  • N. T. Nolan, M. K. Seery, S. C. Pillai, The Crystallisation and Phase Transition Characteristics of Sol-gel Synthesised Zinc Titanates, Chem. Mat., 2011, 23, 1496-1504.
  • N. T. Nolan, M. K. Seery, S. J. Hinder, L. F. Healy and S. C. Pillai, A Systematic Study of the Effect of Silver on the Chelation of Formic Acid to a Titanium Precursor and the Resulting Effect on the Anatase to Rutile Transformation of TiO2, J. Phys. Chem. C., 2010, 114, 13026–13034, Link to ACS
  • V. Etacheri, R. Georgekutty, M. K. Seery and S. C. Pillai, Single-step morphology-controlled synthesis of silver nanoparticles, Mater. Res. Symp. Proc., 2010, 1217-Y08-40.
  • V.Etacheri, M. K. Seery, S. J. Hinder and S. C. Pillai, Highly Visible Light Active TiO2−xNx Heterojunction Photocatalysts, Chem. Mater., 2010, 22(13), 3843 – 3853.
  • N. T. Nolan, M. K. Seery and S. C. Pillai, Spectroscopic Investigation of the Anatase-to-Rutile Transformation of Sol-Gel-Synthesisized TiO2 Photocatalysts, J. Phys. Chem. C, 2009, 113(36), 16151 – 16157. Link to ACS Reprint
  • R. Georgekutty, M. K. Seery and S.C. Pillai, A Highly Efficient Ag-ZnO Photocatalyst: Synthesis, Properties and Mechanism, J. Phys. Chem. C, 2008, 112(35), 13563 – 13570.
  • MK Seery, R George, P Floris, SC Pillai, Silver doped titanium dioxide nanomaterials for enhanced visible light photocatalysis, J. Photochem. Photobiol A: Chemistry, 2007, 189(2-3), 258 – 263.
  • SC Pillai, P Periyat, R George, DE McCormack, MK Seery, H Hayden, J Colreavy, D Corr, SJ Hinder, Synthesis of high temperature stable anatase TiO2 photocatalyst, J. Phys Chem C, 2007, 111, 1605 – 1611.
  • MK Seery, L Clarke, SC Pillai, The Use of Titanium Dioxide-Mediated Photocatalysis in the Treatment of Wastewater: An Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment, Chem. Educator, 2006, 11, 1-3.
  • RJ Forster, L Dennany, M Seery, TE Keyes, Luminescenceproperties of metallopolymer-gold nanoparticle composites, Proc. SPIE, 2005, 5825, 609 – 614.
  • MK Seery, L Guerin, RJ Forster, E Gicquel, V Hultgren, AM Bond, AG Wedd and TE Keyes, Photophysics of Ion Clusters Formed between [Ru(bpy)3]2+ and the Polyoxotungstate Anion [S2W18O62]4-, J. Phys. Chem. A, 2004, 108 (36), 7399-7405.
  • MK Seery, N Fay, T McCormac, E Dempsey, RJ Forster, TE Keyes, Photophysics of Ruthenium Polypyridyl Complexes formed with lacunary polyoxotungstates with iron addenda, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., (2005), 19(7), 3426 – 3433.
  • MK Seery, SM Draper, JM Kelly, TMcCabe and TBH McMurry, The Synthesis, Structural Characterisation and Photochemistry of Some 3-Phenylindenones, Synthesis, 2005, (3), 470-474.
 

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