John Irvine


jtsi on bench_edited
John Irvine FRSE, FRSC has made a unique and world-leading contribution to the science of energy materials, especially fuel cell and energy conversion technologies. This research has ranged from detailed fundamental to strategic and applied science and has had major impact across academia, industry and government. Irvine’s science is highly interdisciplinary extending from Chemistry and Materials through physics, bioenergy, geoscience, engineering, economics and policy.

The quality and impact of Irvine’s research has been recognised by a number of national and international awards, including the Royal Society Hughes Medal in 2021,  the Royal Society of Edinburgh Lord Kelvin Medal in 2018, the Schönbeim gold medal from the European Fuel Cell Forum in 2016, the RSC Sustainable Energy Award in 2015, with earlier RSC recognition via Materials Chemistry, Bacon and Beilby awards/medals.

Irvine has over 500 publications and has an WoS h-index of 69. He has strong international standing having held senior visiting appointments in the US, Australia and China and has strong links with a number of leading laboratories across the Chinese Academy of Science including being Thousand Talents professor at Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter and an Elected member of Academia Europaea.

Irvine is Editor in Chief of the Journal of Physics Energy.  The first edition was published in November 2018 accompanied by an exclusive interview with John; Fuelling the Future

He heads a large team of over 50 researchers and his main programmes of activity relate to:

  • Emergent Nanomaterials
  • Oxide Fuel Electrodes
  • Waste to Energy
  • Hydrides

Highlights of Irvine’s activities include discovery of the Emergent Nanomaterials Phenomenon, establishing the field of oxide fuel electrodes, delivering high performance direct carbon fuel cells and demonstration of significant hydride ion conductivity.  Other important achievements relate to photocatalysis, lithium ion batteries, non-stoichiometric oxides, Structure/ Property/Function, catalysis, electrocatalysis and bioenergy.

Contact Information

Email: [email protected]
School of Chemistry,
University of St Andrews
St Andrews
Fife KY16 9ST
Direct phone: +44 (0)1334 463817

Selected Publications

Tailoring SOFC electrode microstructures for improved performance”. P.A. Connor, X. Yue, C.D. Savaniu, R. Price, G. Triantafyllou, M. Cassidy, G. Kerherve, D.J. Payne, R. Maher, L. Cohen, R. Tomov, B. Glowacki, RV. Kumar, J.T.S. Irvine Energy Mater. 2018. 23, 1800120

Chemistry at a point: restructuring and catalytic activation at anchored nanoparticles”, D. Neagu, E.I. Papaioannou, W.K.W. Raml, D.N. Miller, B.J. Murdoch, H. Ménard, A. Umar, A.J. Barlow, P.J. Cumpson, J.T.S. Irvine and I.S. Metcalfe, Nat. Commun. 2017, 8, 1855

Charge carrier localised in zero-dimensional (CH3NH3)3Bi2I9 clusters”. C. Ni, G. Hedley, J. Payne, V. Svrcek, C. McDonald, L.K. Jagadamma, P. Edwards, R. Martin, G. Jain, D. Carolan, D. Mariotti, P. Maguire, I. Samuel, J.T.S. Irvine. Nat. Commun. 2017. 8, 170

Enhancing CO2 electrolysis through synergistic control of non-stoichiometry and doping to tune cathode surface structures“. L. Ye, M. Zhang, P. Huang, G. Guo, M. Hong, C.Li, JTS. Irvine, K. Xie. Nat. Commun. 2017. 8, 14785

Switching on electrocatalytic activity in solid oxide cells”, J-H. Myung, D. Neagu, D.M. Miller & J.T.S. Irvine, Nature, 2016. 537, 528-531

Evolution of the electrochemical interface in high-temperature fuel cells and electrolysers”. JTS. Irvine, D. Neagu, M.C. Verbraeken, C. Chatzichristodoulou, C. Graves, M.B. Mogensen. Nat.  Energy. 2016, 1, 15014

Simultaneous cellulose conversion and hydrogen production assisted by cellulose decomposition under UV-light photocatalysis”. G. Zhang, C. Ni, X. Huang, A. Welgamage, L.A. Lawton, P.K.J. Robertson, J.T.S Irvine. Nat. Commun. 2016, 52, 1673-1676

High H- ionic conductivity in barium hydride”. M.C. Verbraeken, C. Cheung, E. Suard, J.T.S. Irvine. Nat. Mater. 2015, 14, 95-100

Layered oxygen-deficient double perovskite as an efficient and stable anode for direct hydrocarbon solid oxide fuel cells”. S. Sengodan, S. Choi, A. Jun, T-H. Shin, Y.W. Ju, H.Y. Jeong, J. Shin, J.T.S. Irvine, G. Kim. Nat. Mater. 2015, 14, 205-206

Nano-socketed nickel particles with remarkable coking resistance grown in situ by redox exsolution”. Neagu, T-S. Oh, D.N. Miller, H. Menard, S.M. Bukhari, S.R. Gamble, R.J. Gorte, J.M. Vohs, J.T.S. Irvine. Nat. Commun. 2015, 6, 8120