Professor Bernard Binks

Professor Bernie Binks

Professor of Physical Chemistry

Faculty and Department

  • Faculty of Science and Engineering
  • School of Natural Sciences

Summary

Professor Binks' research is primarily concerned with materials chemistry. He is a physical chemist with research interests in surfactants, foams, emulsions and colloidal particles at interfaces. He was the Director of the Surfactant and Colloid Group for 15 years, a leading UK research group in surface and colloid chemistry. A large proportion of Professor Binks' research funding comes from industry as his work is on the fundamental science underpinning the behaviour of many important formulations (food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, paint). Professor Binks has also recently overseen a Knowledge Transfer Partnership between the University and leading edible oils manufacturer AAK. Pioneered a new area of interface science, that of the behaviour of small solid particles at fluid-fluid interfaces. This is very relevant to e.g. crude oil emulsions, aerated foods and the process of froth flotation.The interfaces include oil-water, air-water, oil-oil, air-oil and water-water. In addition to investigating the basic science, we have been preparing novel materials involving fluid interfaces ranging from dry water to dry oil to powdered emulsions to multiple emulsions. Invited by Langmuir to write a feature article of the area which will be published in July 2017.

Recent outputs

View more outputs

Journal Article

Pickering emulsion droplets and solid microspheres acting synergistically for continuous-flow cascade reactions

Zhang, M., Ettelaie, R., Li, T., Yang, J., Dong, L., Xue, N., …Yang, H. (2024). Pickering emulsion droplets and solid microspheres acting synergistically for continuous-flow cascade reactions. Nature Catalysis, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-024-01110-x

Competition between hydrogen bonding and electrostatic repulsion in pH-switchable emulsions

Lv, M., Shi, J., Binks, B. P., Jiang, J., & Cui, Z. (2023). Competition between hydrogen bonding and electrostatic repulsion in pH-switchable emulsions. Journal of Molecular Liquids, 390(B), Article 123095. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2023.123095

Light-Driven Spatiotemporal Pickering Emulsion Droplet Manipulation Enabled by Plasmonic Hybrid Microgels

Guan, X., Cheng, G., Ho, Y. P., Binks, B. P., & Ngai, T. (2023). Light-Driven Spatiotemporal Pickering Emulsion Droplet Manipulation Enabled by Plasmonic Hybrid Microgels. Small, 19(47), Article 2304207. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202304207

Highly efficient and recyclable monolithic bioreactor for interfacial enzyme catalysis

Yin, Z., Zhou, Y., Liu, X., Zhang, S., & Binks, B. P. (2023). Highly efficient and recyclable monolithic bioreactor for interfacial enzyme catalysis. Journal of colloid and interface science, 648, 308-316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2023.06.009

Fabrication of Poly(ε-caprolactone)-embedded Lignin-Chitosan Nanocomposite Porous Scaffolds from Pickering Emulsions

Li, Y., Peng, Y., Hu, Y., Liu, J., Yuan, T., Zhou, W., …Yang, Z. (2023). Fabrication of Poly(ε-caprolactone)-embedded Lignin-Chitosan Nanocomposite Porous Scaffolds from Pickering Emulsions. Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids, 39(20), 6947-6956. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02942

Lead investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

Catalyst Cascade Reactions in ‘One-Flow’ within a Compartmentalized, Green-Solvent ‘Digital Synthesis Machinery’ – End-to-End Green Process Design for Pharmaceuticals

Funder

EC European Commission

Grant

£275,738.00

Started

1 January 2017

Status

Complete

Project

Emulsions stabilised by soft particles

Funder

Shiseido

Grant

£87,886.00

Started

1 March 2015

Status

Complete

Project

Crude Oil Pour Point Depressants – Screening And Design Of New Products

Funder

Lubrizol Limited

Grant

£86,262.00

Started

28 September 2015

Status

Complete

Postgraduate supervision

I welcome applications from BSc or MChem graduates with either a 1st or 2.1 Honours degree and interest in physical chemistry/nanotechnology. Completed PhDs I. Marinopoulos, 2016, Photochemical and Evaporation Behaviour of Sunscreen Formulations. S.A. Darragh, 2015, Encapsulation of Fluids by Solid Particles. A.T. Tyowua, 2014, Solid Particles at Fluid Interfaces: Emulsions, Liquid Marbles, Dry Oil Powders and Oil Foams. S. Mashinchi, 2014, Aqueous Foams and Aerated Oil-in-Water Emulsions Partly Stabilised by Edible Particles. Current PhD supervisors K. Scarth, Novel Corrosion Inhibitors of Steel Surfaces. A.M. Bago Rodriguez, Stabilisation of Emulsion by Polyelectrolyte Complexes. S.O. Olusanya, Oil-Water Emulsions Stabilised Solely by Organic Pigment Particles. C. Holmes, Wax Inhibition in Oil by Polymer Addition. H. Shi, Aqueous Foams Stabilised by Surfactant Crystals. R. Zheng, Influence of Salt Type on the Adsorption of Hydrophilic Particles to Oil-Water Interfaces.E.S. Park, Catalytic Behaviour of Emulsions Stabilised by Macroparticles involving Palladium. D.J. Turner, Performance of Emulsions Stabilised by Brucite Particles (MSc). Y. Liu, Oil Foams.

Other

Fellow Higher Education Academy

2017

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