Dr Sebastian Sprick

Chancellor’S Fellow - Senior Lecturer

Pure and Applied Chemistry

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.

Expertise

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Prize And Awards

Frontiers of Science Award: Recipient; 15/7/2025
Faculty of Science Teaching Excellence Award: Recipient; 12/9/2024
UK & Ireland Green Gown Award 2022: Recipient; 8/11/2022
Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA): Recipient; 8/9/2022

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Publications

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Publications

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction in aqueous media using a silver-loaded conjugated polymer and a Ru(II)-Ru(II) supramolecular photocatalyst: Sakakibara Noritaka, McQueen Ewan, Sprick Reiner Sebastian, Ishitani Osamu; Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan Vol 98 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1093/bulcsj/uoaf017
Visible-light-responsive hybrid photocatalysts for quantitative conversion of CO 2 to highly concentrated formate solutions: McQueen Ewan, Sakakibara Noritaka, Kamogawa Kei, Zwijnenburg Martijn A, Tamaki Yusuke, Ishitani Osamu, Sprick Reiner Sebastian; Chemical Science Vol 15, pp. 18146-18160 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sc05289g
Films of linear conjugated polymer as photoanodes for oxidation reactions: Chai Shuming, Zhao Shun, Su Jiaxin, Zhang Jinshui, Chen Xiong, Sprick Reiner Sebastian, Fang Yuanxing; Chemical Science Vol 15, pp. 15496-15503 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SC03512G
ChemQuest - the education for sustainable development game: Gibson Lorraine, Sprick Reiner Sebastian, Thomson Patrick, Stevens David; Variety in Chemistry Education Physics Higher Education Conference (2024)
Processing polymer photocatalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution: Lyons Richard Jack, Sprick Reiner Sebastian; Materials Horizons Vol 11, pp. 3764-3791 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1039/D4MH00482E
Non-conventional bulk heterojunction nanoparticle photocatalysts for sacrificial hydrogen evolution from water: Mistry Jai-Ram, McQueen Ewan, Nudelman Fabio, Sprick Reiner Sebastian, Wright Iain; Journal of Materials Chemistry. A Vol 12, pp. 23411-23415 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1039/D4TA03584D

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Research

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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.