Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal Statement
I obtained my PhD in 2013 from The University of Manchester under the supervision of Prof. Michael Turner working on N-heterocyclic palladium carbene catalysts for polytriarylamine synthesis. After this I moved to the University of Liverpool working with Prof. Andrew Cooper as a postdoctoral research associate on soluble conjugated microporous polymers (C-PIMs) and water splitting using conjugated microporous polymers as photocatalysts. In 2015 started my new role as a Research Lead within the group leading the photocatalysis research. In 2020 I started my independent career as a Strathclyde Chancellor’s Fellow.
Research Interests
The goal of my group is to address challenges in sustainability. In particular we are aiming to make so-called ‘solar fuels’ (e.g. hydrogen and carbon monoxide) only using renewable resources and sunlight. For this we make organic materials that act as photocatalysts to drive reactions, such as water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction. We utilise a range of different materials, such as small oligomers, polymers, conjugated microporous polymers and conjugated organic frameworks. The modularity and structural diversity of the available building blocks allows for excellent fine tuning of the properties of these organic materials thus optimising their performance. Finally, we are interested in large scale application and working towards making demonstrator devices.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Manchester
Keywords
- Conjugated materials
- Conjugated polymers
- Photocatalysis
- Watersplitting
- Hydrogen
- Carbon dioxide
- Pathogen inactivation
- Oxidation reactions
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Strathclyde-led Network in Health and Engineering Biology with Thailand
Majumdar, A. (Principal Investigator), Chamberlain, L. (Co-investigator), Scott, F. (Co-investigator) & Sprick, S. (Co-investigator)
26/03/25 → 30/04/27
Project: Research Fellowship
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Photocatalytic and photolectrocatalytic conversion of local feedstocks into valuable building blocks
Sprick, S. (Principal Investigator)
1/08/24 → 31/07/26
Project: Research
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Photocatalytic CO2 reduction in aqueous media using a silver-loaded conjugated polymer and a Ru(II)-Ru(II) supramolecular photocatalyst
Sakakibara, N., McQueen, E., Sprick, R. S. & Ishitani, O., 1 Mar 2025, In: Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan. 98, 3, 10 p., uoaf017.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Visible-light-responsive hybrid photocatalysts for quantitative conversion of CO 2 to highly concentrated formate solutions
McQueen, E., Sakakibara, N., Kamogawa, K., Zwijnenburg, M. A., Tamaki, Y., Ishitani, O. & Sprick, R. S., 30 Nov 2024, In: Chemical Science. 15, 43, p. 18146-18160 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Citations (Scopus)6 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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Data for: "Structure–activity relationships in well-defined conjugated oligomer photocatalysts for hydrogen production from water"
Aitchison, C. M. (Contributor), Sachs, M. (Contributor), Little, M. A. (Creator), Wilbraham, L. (Contributor), Brownbill, N. J. (Contributor), Kane, C. M. (Contributor), Blanc, F. (Contributor), Zwijnenburg, M. A. (Contributor), Durrant, J. R. (Contributor), Sprick, R. S. (Contributor) & Cooper, A. I. (Contributor), Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre, 13 Sept 2023
DOI: 10.5517/ccdc.csd.cc253wz5, https://dx.doi.org/10.5517/ccdc.csd.cc253x07 and 8 more links, https://dx.doi.org/10.5517/ccdc.csd.cc253x18, https://dx.doi.org/10.5517/ccdc.csd.cc253x29, https://dx.doi.org/10.5517/ccdc.csd.cc253x3b, https://dx.doi.org/10.5517/ccdc.csd.cc253x4c, https://dx.doi.org/10.5517/ccdc.csd.cc253x5d, https://dx.doi.org/10.5517/ccdc.csd.cc253x6f, https://dx.doi.org/10.5517/ccdc.csd.cc253x7g, https://dx.doi.org/10.5517/ccdc.csd.cc253x8h (show fewer)
Dataset
Prizes
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Faculty of Science Teaching Excellence Award
Sprick, S. (Recipient), 12 Sept 2024
Prize: Other distinction
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Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Sprick, S. (Recipient), 8 Sept 2022
Prize: Other distinction
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5th International Solar Fuels Conference
Sprick, S. (Participant)
1 Sept 2025 → 5 Sept 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Organiser of major conference
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Invited departmental seminar: “Conjugated polymers as photocatalysts for hydrogen production and carbon dioxide conversion” R. S. Sprick, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China, 14/07/25
Sprick, S. (Speaker)
14 Jul 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk