BSc, PhD, MRSC
Senior Lecturer
- About
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- Email Address
- a.mccue@abdn.ac.uk
- Office Address
- School/Department
- School of Natural and Computing Sciences
Biography
I recieved both my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from the University of Aberdeen. I am heavily involved in the Department of Chemistry's undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and am the programme director our MSc in 'Chemistry for Sustainable Energy'. My research interests lie in the field of heterogeneous catalysis, with a particular emphasis on how activity and selectivity of hydrogenation catalysts (typically supported metals) can be manipulated by careful design. I also enjoy outreach work.
Qualifications
- BSc Chemistry2008 - University of Aberdeen
- PhD Chemistry2012 - University of Aberdeen
Memberships and Affiliations
- Internal Memberships
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Programme director - Chemistry for Sustainable Energy MSc
- External Memberships
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Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry
Latest Publications
Non-oxidative coupling of methane via plasma-catalysis over M/γ-Al2O3 catalysts (M = Ni, Fe, Rh, Pt and Pd): Impact of active metal and noble gas co-feeding
Plasma Chemistry and Plasma ProcessingContributions to Journals: ArticlesBiomass-derived materials for carbon capture: a review
Encyclopedia of Renewable Energy Engineering. ElsevierChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersTowards low-cost and sustainable activated carbon production: influence of microwave activation time on yield and CO2 uptake of PET-derived adsorbents
Journal of CO2 Utilization, vol. 83, 102807Contributions to Journals: ArticlesAdsorption of organic acids in oil on crushed marble at varying temperatures and ambient pressure
Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, vol. 686, 133231Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHousehold Mixed Plastic Waste Derived Adsorbents for CO2 Capture: A Feasibility Study
Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 355, 120466Contributions to Journals: Articles
- Research
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Research Overview
My principle research interests lie in the field of heterogeneous catalysis, with a particular emphasis on how activity and selectivity of hydrogenation catalysts (typically supported metals) can be manipulated by careful design. This can be achieved by a number of methods which include:
- Alloy formation and controlling surface composition
- Modifying surface properties by adsorption of organic ligands
- Incorporation of an inorganic element to change the structure (i.e., Pd + S)
Prepared catalysts can be characterised by a number of different techniques which range from routine (i.e., XRD, microscopy, physisorption or chemisorption) to more specialised (i.e., in-situ FTIR, temperature programmed methods and XAS). Catalyst performance is then evaluated by testing in either the liquid or gas phase at either ambient or elevated pressure/temperature. The most common reaction of interest is the selective hydrogenation of an alkyne to an alkene without over-hydrogenation to the alkane. This is a process of importance with regards to polymer production (i.e., polyethylene or polypropylene) and commodity chemicals in a number of areas. Other reactions of interest include CO2 hydrogenation and biomass utilisation.
Research Areas
Accepting PhDs
I am currently accepting PhDs in Chemistry.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.
Current Research
- Selective alkyne hydrogenation
- Development of CO2 hydrogenation catalysts
- Catalysts for biomass upgrading
- New and improved materials for gas separation
Funding and Grants
UKRI New Horizons - New route to zero carbon hydrogen (with Lancaster University as PI)
UK Catalysis Hub - Plasma-catalytic upgrading of biogas (with Dr Panos Kechagiopoulos as PI)
ScotChem - ATR for FTIR
UK Catalysis Hub - A supported molten-salt membrane reactor (with Newcastle University as PI & Glasgow University as CI)
Royal Society of Chemistry - Combining pulse chemisorption and FTIR into a single low-cost measurement
Carnegie Trust - Palladium sulphide as a hydrogenation catalyst
- Teaching
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Programmes
- Undergraduate, 4 year, September start
- Undergraduate, 5 year, September start
- Postgraduate, 3 semester, September start
Courses
Topic - Employability
Topic - Porous Materials
Topic - Porous Materials
Topic - Environmental Remediation
Topics - Flow Assurance, Catalysis, Natural Gas Chemistry
Topic - Catalysis
Topic - Employability
Topic - Utilising Biorenewable Resources
Topic - Hydrogen Generation & Liquid Storage
Topic - Renewable Chemical Production
Entire course - all aspects of Carbon Capture, Storage & Utilisation (CCSU)
Topic - Employability
Topic - Various lab experiments
Topic - Exploring sustainability within a business setting
Teaching Responsibilities
I currently coordinate our Chemistry for Sustainable Energy MSc. This programme gives students a high level understanding in the areas of electrochemical conversion devices (such as battery and fuel cell technology), carbon capture technologies and the hydrogen economy, amongst other topics.
- Publications
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Page 3 of 6 Results 21 to 30 of 55
Metal Phosphides and Sulfides in Heterogeneous Catalysis: Electronic and Geometric Effects
ACS Catalysis, vol. 11, no. 15, pp. 9102–9127Contributions to Journals: Review articlesAdsorbate-Induced Structural Evolution of Pd Catalyst for Selective Hydrogenation of Acetylene
ACS Catalysis, vol. 10, no. 24, pp. 15048–15059Contributions to Journals: ArticlesRapid scan FTIR reveals propane (am)oxidation mechanisms over Vanadium based catalysts
Journal of Catalysis, vol. 390, pp. 72-80Contributions to Journals: ArticlesComparison of Pd and Pd4S based catalysts for partial hydrogenation of external and internal butynes
Journal of Catalysis, vol. 383, pp. 51-59Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcat.2020.01.010
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/15716/1/McCue_etal_JCat_Comparison_AAM.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Influence of pretreatment on surface interaction between Cu and anatase-TiO2 in the simultaneous photoremediation of nitrate and oxalic acid
Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, vol. 7, no. 2, 103029Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2019.103029
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/13895/1/JECETEXT_2_.pdf
Support morphology-dependent alloying behaviour and interfacial effects of bimetallic Ni–Cu/CeO2 catalysts
Chemical Science, vol. 10, no. 12, pp. 3556-3566Contributions to Journals: ArticlesEvolution of palladium sulfide phases during thermal treatments and consequences for acetylene hydrogenation
Journal of Catalysis, vol. 364, pp. 204-215Contributions to Journals: ArticlesPalladium phosphide nanoparticles as highly selective catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of acetylene
Journal of Catalysis, vol. 364, pp. 406-414Contributions to Journals: ArticlesCombined quantitative FTIR and online GC study of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis involving co-fed ethylene
Journal of Catalysis, vol. 362, pp. 10-17Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcat.2018.03.026
Carbon Capture by Metal Oxides: Unleashing the Potential of the (111) Facet
Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol. 140, no. 13, pp. 4736-4742Contributions to Journals: Articles