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Biography

Mike Lyons is Professor in Physical Chemistry , a Senior Fellow of Trinity College Dublin and an elected member of the Royal Irish Academy. He served as Head School of Chemistry for a six year period (2017-2023). He is a PI in the Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), and in the SFI funded AMBER National Centre, Trinity College Dublin. Born in Cork city he was educated in CBC Cork and is a graduate of University College Cork (1979) where he read Chemistry. and Mathematical Physics. Mike obtained his Ph.D degree from the same University in 1983 under the supervision of the late Prof. Declan Burke in metal oxide electrochemistry. He worked with the late Prof. John Albery FRS and Prof. Brian Steele at Imperial College London on metal oxide electro-catalysis before being appointed to a lectureship in Physical Chemistry at Trinity College Dublin in 1984. He was elected to Fellowship, Trinity College Dublin, in 1992 on the basis of publication and research. His research interests encompass Physical and Analytical Electrochemistry and nanomaterials , and in a publication output of two books and more than 200 papers, he has made significant contributions to electrode kinetics, metal oxide electro-catalysis, electroactive polymer electrochemistry, mathematical modelling of electrochemical systems, electrochemical biosensors, and carbon nanotube electrochemistry. The following numerical indicators h-index = 50 , i10 = 115 (64 since 2019) 8933 cites in total (3702 since 2019) are indicative of high impact research that is internationally recognized. He is cited in the Stanford top 2% of scientists worldwide for his work in electrochemistry and energy science. In 2021 Mike was conferred with the Doctor in Science Degree (ScD) by the University of Dublin on the basis of a corpus of published research and scholarship. In the same year, he was also elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland (FICI) . More recently he was elected member of the Royal Irish Academy (MRIA) in 2023 for his many experimental and theoretical contributions to electrochemical science and technology. Mike leads the Trinity Physical and Materials Electrochemistry Group, which is currently engaged in developing novel nanomaterials for use as catalysts in water electrolysis and fuel cell devices for use in energy conversion and storage device applications. The group is also developing non enzymatic electrochemical biosensors based on metal oxide modified electrodes for bio-diagnostic applications and for pH sensing and in developing anode materials for metal electro-winning for the mining industry. He previously lead TCD activity in the field of Raw Materials within the EIT Raw Materials KIC a multinational EU funded initiative involving industry, research institutes and academia. Professor Lyons has lectured extensively in UK, Europe, US, Latin America, Pakistan, India, Australia and New Zealand. He has received significant research funding both from National sources (SFI, EI), the EU and Multinational Industry (DuPont, National Power). A major research emphasis at the present time is in the mathematical modelling of bounded reaction/diffusion equations of interest in catalytic reactors, amperometric enzyme biosensors and bio-fuel cells. This work is being done in collaboration with Prof. L Rajendran, AMET University, Chennai, India. Current experimental projects include Ni/Fe oxyhydroxide materials for alkaline water electrolysis. In his spare time Mike follows Irish & Munster Rugby (although he will on occasion cheer on Leinster) and Cork Hurling. He enjoys classical music and escapist movies, and is an avid reader of history and popular science books.

Research Tags

Biosensors Electroactive polymer electrochemistry Electrochemical biosensors Electrochemical energy conversion Electrochemical kinetics Mathematical Modelling Mathematical modelling electrochemical systems Nanochemistry Nanotechnology Nanotubes

Research Projects

Project Title

Redox & catalytic properties of hydrated metal oxide electrodes for use in energy conversion & storage devices

From

1 March 2011

28 February 2016

Summary

In the present research programme the mechanism of hydrous oxide growth and the redox charging/discharging behaviour at a variety of noble (Pt, Rh, Ir) and non-noble metal (Fe, Co, Ni, Mn) hydrous oxides will be fully elucidated under well defined conditions using a range of in situ electrochemical (steady state and transient), nanogravimetric, spectroscopic and microscopic (scanning electrochemical and atomic force) in order to establish a coherent basis for preparation of defined materials with defined properties. The activity, kinetics and mechanism of the catalytically demanding dioxygen evolution and electroreduction reactions will then be probed and elucidated on the latter surfaces and at metal surfaces pre-coated with carbon nanotube meshes on which hydrous oxides are electrochemically grown. A detailed experimental basis to underpin a coherent predictive theory of electrocatalysis will therefore be established for the first time. This will result in a huge advance in the optimization of water electrolysis anode and PEM fuel cell cathode materials science and will bring the ideal of a sustainable electrochemistry based hydrogen economy closer to fruition.

Funding Agency

Science Foundation Ireland

Programme

Principal Investigator

Person Months

Languages

Language	Skill Reading	Skill Writing	Skill Speaking
Irish	Fluent	Medium	Medium

Memberships

Membership of Professional Institutions, Associations, Societies

Details	Date From	Date To
Member American Chemical Society	2003	2005
Fellow Institute of Chemistry of Ireland	2021	present
Chartered Chemist (CChem)	1984	present

Publications and other Research Outputs

G Yokeswari, IP Jayasimman, L Rajendran, MEG Lyons, Novel analytical expression for concentrations of redox components in the new autocatalytic mechanism: The hyperbolic function method, Partial differential equations in applied mathematics, 2024, p100688 , Notes: [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.padiff.2024.100688], Journal Article, IN_PRESS DOI

Yokeswari, G. and Jayasimman, I.P. and Lyons, M.E.G. and Abukhaled, M. and Rajendran, L., Nonlinear Reaction-Diffusion and Mediated Electron Transfer Process at Conducting Polymer Modified Ultramicroelectrodes, European Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics, 17, (2), 2024, p1265-1282 , Notes: [cited By 0], Journal Article, PUBLISHED DOI

M Rajaram, UM Mariappan, J Visuvasam, A meena, L Rajendran, MEG Lyons, Modelling glucose isomerization in a packed-bed reactor: A complete theoretical and numerical approach, International Journal of Electrochemical Science, 18, (3), 2023, p100023 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED

P Jeyabarathi, M Abukhaled, M Kannan, L Rajendran, MEG LYons, New analytical expressions of concentrations in packed bed immobilized cell photobioreactor, Electrochem, 4, 2023, p447 - 449, Journal Article, PUBLISHED DOI

G Yokeswari,IP Jayasimman, MEG Lyons, L Rajendran, Analysis of non-linear reaction-diffusion processes at conducting polymer modified ultramicroelectrodes using Akbari-method, Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, 2023, Journal Article, SUBMITTED

V Silambuselvi, S Rekha, R Usha Rani, L Rajendran, K Angaleeshwari, MEG Lyons, Theiretical analysis of amperometric response towards PPo based rotating disk bioelectrodes: Taylor series and hyperbolic function method, International Journal of electrochemical science, 18, 2023, p100083 , Notes: [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijoes.2023.100083], Journal Article, PUBLISHED

B Manimegalai, R Swaminathan, MEG Lyons, L Rajendran, Homogeneous catalysis of electrochemical reactions: The steady state current and turnover frequency., Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 127, 2023, p11517 - 11525, Notes: [https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c01507], Journal Article, PUBLISHED

R Vanaja, P Jeyabarathi, L Rajendran, MEG Lyons, Theoretical study of exothermic explosions in a slab using Akbari'-Ganji's Method, Electrochem, 4, (3), 2023, p424 - 434, Journal Article, PUBLISHED DOI

Michael EG Lyons, R Joy Salomi, L Rajendran, Formal analysis of isothermal reaction/diffusion in a defined general geometry, International Journal of Electrochemical Science, 18, 2023, p100296 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED URL

P Jeyabarathi, M Abukhaled, M Kannan, L Rajendran, MEG Lyons, New analytical expressions of concentrations in a packed bed immobilized cell electrochemical bioreactor, Preprints.org 2023, 2023, p2023070400 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED URL

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MEG Lyons, Everything is customisable now: Science in a globalised society, TCD Politics Society, Trinity College Dublin, 15 February, 2018, Notes: [Position Paper], Invited Talk, PUBLISHED

Awards and Honours

Award	Date
Member Royal Irish Academy	16 May 2023
Senior Fellow Trinity College Dublin	2018
Fellow Institute of Chemistry of Ireland	2021

Research Interests

Description Of Research Interests

Research interests lie in the areas of Physical, Materials, nano- and bio-electrochemistry and in Raw Materials. Both experimental and mathematical modelling (analytic and numerical simulation) activity is pursued. Current activity is focused on the investigation of the redox, charge storage and electro-catalytic properties of nanostructured metal oxyhydroxide thin films for use as electrodes in water electrolysis cells and electrochemical fuel cells. The development of metal oxide and polymeric electrode materials for use as amperometric chemical and biological sensors in tandem with the mathematical modelling of reaction and diffusion of analytes at sensor electrode surfaces is an ongoing research activity. We have recently extended our modelling activity to consider general problems involving fluid flow and chemical reaction in reactor/filtration systems of interest in Chemical Engineering and to consider reaction/diffusion processes under non-isothermal conditions. Finally we have begun an industrially focused research program to examine the performance of Ni/Fe oxyhydroxide films as catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline electrolysis reactors.

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

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Professor Michael Lyons