James Behan

Chargé de Recherche/Assistant Professor CNRS

Université de Rennes 1

Download my Curriculum Vitae.

Interests

Electrocatalysis
Nanomaterial Synthesis and Characterisation
Bio-Nano Interactions
Nanocarbon Electrochemistry

Education

PhD in Physical Chemistry, 2018

Trinity College Dublin
Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry, 2014

Trinity College Dublin
Postgraduate Certificate in Statistics, 2017

School of Computer Science and Statistics, Trinity College Dublin
Diploma in Python Programming, 2020

CCT College Dublin
Nanodegree in Data Science with Python, 2021

Udacity (Remote Learning Course)
Laureate of AMI Emergence Entrepeneurship Programme, 2022

Deeptech Bretagne

Experience

Chargé de Recherche CNRS

Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, Université de Rennes 1

Jan 2022 – Present Rennes, Brittany, France

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Bienvenue Fellow

Université de Rennes 1

Jan 2022 – Sep 2023 Rennes, Brittany, France

Responsibilities include:

Investigation of capacity of bacterial biofilms to synthesise novel electrocatalysts
Writing and publishing original research
Advising and supervising PhD candidates and other junior students

Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow

Centre for BioNano Interactions, University College Dublin

Apr 2019 – Nov 2021 Dublin

Responsibilities included:

My project NANO-INT focused on the investigation of nanomaterial - biological system interactions
This involved a combination of nanoparticle synthesis and surface modification
Supervision of numerous PhD, Masters and Project Students
Co-coordinator Bio-Nano Master’s module with Prof. Kenneth Dawson (2019-2020)

Lecturer in Physical Chemistry

School of Pharmacy, Trinity College Dublin

Aug 2018 – Apr 2019 Dublin

Responsibilities included:

Designed and produced lecture series in thermodynamics aimed at applications in pharmacy
ca. 100 students in 1st and 2nd year pharmacy
20 lecture contact hours in addition to tutorials, pre-exam sessions
Prepared and set final exam questions and marking scheme

Part-Time Lecturer, Introduction to Chemistry

School of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin

Aug 2017 – Apr 2019 Dublin

Description of work:

Prepared and delivered lecture and tutorial series aimed at students new to the field
Part time position held concomitantly with PhD and Physical Chemistry lecturing duties
Multiple 1-2 H sessions/week with a dozen students per session
Prepared multiple self-test and exam preparatory sessions, supplementary notes and worked problem examples

PhD, Physical Chemistry

Laboratory of Prof. Paula E. Colavita, Trinity College Dublin

Jan 2014 – Jan 2018 Dublin

Description of work:

Synthesis and investigation of carbon nanomaterials for electrocatalytic and electroanalytic applications
Heteroatom doped nanocarbons for oxygen reduction
Modifying carbon electrode interfaces for favourable bio-nano interactions
Proficiency in variety of electrochemical, spectroscopic and optoelectronic characterisation techniques

HAL

Committed to Open Access Publishing

Statistics

Trained in statistical analysis

Python Programming

Chemistry

Electrochemistry

Japanese (JLPT N4 certified)

Projects

"BioNanoCat" - Biogenic Nanoparticles Prepared from Bacterial Biofilms for Electrocatalytic and Fuel Cell Device Applications

Fuel cells are devices which exploit redox processes as power sources. State-of-the-art H2/O2 fuel cells employ precious metal catalysts such as Pt and other Pt-group metals, presenting issues of cost and sustainability.

Recent & Upcoming Talks

“Tailored Carbon Nanomaterial Interfaces for Electrocatalysis, Electroanalysis and Microbial Fuel Cell Applications” European Materials Research Society (EMRS) Spring Meeting 2022

I was delighted to present our work at EMRS for the first time post-pandemic. he symposium was replete with very interesting presentations on carbon nanomaterials and our small section on biological applications generated a lot of discussion despite being the afternoon session towards the end of the programme. I came away feeling up to date on nanocarbons and energised to try all sorts of new experiments in the lab - exactly what you want from a world class international conference!

Featured Publications

James A. Behan, Eric Mates-Torres, Serban N. Stamatin, Carlota Domínguez, Alessandro Iannaci, Karsten Fleischer, Md Khairul Hoque, Tatiana S. Perova, Max García-Melchor, Paula E. Colavita

November 2019 Small

Untangling Cooperative Effects of Pyridinic and Graphitic Nitrogen Sites at Metal-Free N-Doped Carbon Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Abstract Metal-free carbon electrodes with well-defined composition and smooth topography are prepared via sputter deposition followed by thermal treatment with inert and reactive gases. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy show that three carbons of similar N/C content that differ in N-site composition are thus prepared: an electrode consisting of almost exclusively graphitic-N (NG), an electrode with predominantly pyridinic-N (NP), and one with ≈1:1 NG:NP composition. These materials are used as model systems to investigate the activity of N-doped carbons in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) using voltammetry. Results show that selectivity toward 4e-reduction of O2 is strongly influenced by the NG/NP site composition, with the material possessing nearly uniform NG/NP composition being the only one yielding a 4e-reduction. Computational studies on model graphene clusters are carried out to elucidate the effect of N-site homogeneity on the reaction pathway. Calculations show that for pure NG-doping or NP-doping of model graphene clusters, adsorption of hydroperoxide and hydroperoxyl radical intermediates, respectively, is weak, thus favoring desorption prior to complete 4e-reduction to hydroxide. Clusters with mixed NG/NP sites display synergistic effects, suggesting that co-presence of these sites improves activity and selectivity by achieving high theoretical reduction potentials while facilitating retention of intermediates.

Recent Publications

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Timothé Philippon, Fatima-Zahra Ait-Itto, Alicia Monfort, Frédéric Barrière, James A. Behan (2023). Fe(III) Oxide Microparticles Modulate Extracellular Electron Transfer in Anodic Biofilms Dominated by Bacteria of the Pelobacter Genus. Bioelectrochemistry.

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Aisling Fleming, Lorenzo Cursi, James A. Behan, Yan Yan, Zengchun Xie, Laurent Adumeau, Kenneth A. Dawson (2022). Designing Functional Bionanoconstructs for Effective In Vivo Targeting. Bioconjugate Chemistry.

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