Dr Colin Crick
Senior Lecturer in Materials Science
Director of Academic Standards (QMES)
School of Engineering and Materials Science
Queen Mary University of London
Queen Mary University of London
Research
Functional Materials, Superhydrophobic, Coatings, Surface Functionalisation, Sustainable Materials, Antifouling
Interests
The Crick Research Group champions an applied science approach aimed at the fabrication of materials through the specific engineering of surface morphology and chemistry. The areas of interest encompassed by this research extend widely, but the principal fields are summarised below.Superhydrophobic Materials
Superhydrophobic (highly water repellent) materials have a range of applications areas, including; self-cleaning, antifouling, drag-reduction, and water/ice repulsion, in addition to many others. They are fabricated by combining inherently water repellent (non-polar) surface chemistry and an intense surface roughness (at the micro/nanoscale). Key areas of investigation include:
The maximisation of water repelling properties and physical resilience.
The demonstration of long-term biocide-free antifouling and drag reducing properties.
Generate superhydrophobic materials for real-world implementation.
Novel Coating Processes
The Crick group possess specialisation in a range of materials fabrication and coating technologies, which are utilised in a range of ongoing research projects. However, investigative flexibility remains central to the group’s ethos, with time dedicated toward generating completely new processes. This is particularly the case when manufacturing surface coatings. Whereby the development of optimal functional properties may require novel procedures to be developed.
A recent example of a novel fabrication method developed by the group involves the room temperature CVD of polymers (https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA01379B).
Advanced Materials Characterisation
The production of materials with specialised surface chemistries/morphologies requires advanced characterisation for successful validation. The group have a track record of employing a range of imaging, microscopy, and spectroscopic techniques, the utilisation of which is dependant on the materials being investigated. This also involves the development of novel characterisation methodologies.
Recent examples include the characterisation of superhydrophobic materials using water bouncing (https://doi.org/10.1039/C1CC14749H) and shear stress measurements (https://doi.org/10.1039/C7TA10510J).
Sensor Materials
The architecture of any material, particularly at small length scales (micro/nanoscale), can induce functional properties (exemplified by superhydrophobicity). Plasmonic materials are an area of research where functionality is linked directly to material dimensions. One of the best-known examples of plasmonic materials is gold, whereby a variation in length scale changes the optical properties of the material substantially (from appearing yellow in the bulk, turning purple/blue at the nanoscale). Plasmonic materials have many applications, with molecular sensing being one of these. The Crick group utilise their expertise in morphological manipulation to generate targeted plasmonic behaviour and develop sensor substrates.
Publications
Publications of specific relevance to the Centre for Sustainable Engineering2025
Zhang C, Wang L, Crick CR and Lu Y (2025). Intelligent manipulation of liquids through the bio-inspired structuring of materials. Progress in Materials Science, Elsevier vol. 147 01-01-2025
2024
Diniz V, Bear JC, Rath S and Crick CR (2024). UV-stable photoactive superhydrophobic coatings utilizing “inverse vulcanization” sulfur polymers. Surfaces and Interfaces, Elsevier vol. 51, 104691-104691. 29-06-2024
Diniz V, Bear JC, Rath S and Crick CR (2024). Porous sulfur polymers for effective aqueous-phase organic contaminant removal. Scientific Reports, Springer Nature vol. 14 (1) 07-04-2024
Sadler E and Crick CR (2024). The fabrication of robust and highly efficient oil–water separation filters via the high temperature sintering of silica micropower. RSC Advances, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) vol. 14 (19), 13489-13493. 01-01-2024
2023
Zhang L, Garcia-Gonzalez RI, Crick CR, Ng HC-H and Poole RJ (2023). Polymer-dominant drag reduction in turbulent channel flow over a superhydrophobic surface. Physics of Fluids, AIP Publishing vol. 35 (12) 01-12-2023
Garcia-Gonzalez RI and Crick CR (2023). Investigating bio-based solvents as a sustainable alternative in the formulation and fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces. AIP Advances, AIP Publishing vol. 13 (10) 01-10-2023
Diniz V, Crick CR and Rath S (2023). Synthesis and characterization of TiO2-carbon filter materials for water decontamination by adsorption-degradation processes. Journal of Environmental Management, Elsevier vol. 346 14-09-2023
Zhang L, Crick CR and Poole RJ (2023). In situ monitor of superhydrophobic surface degradation to predict its drag reduction in turbulent flow. Applied Physics Letters, AIP Publishing vol. 123 (6) 07-08-2023
Sadler E, Stephen AS, Allaker RP and Crick CR (2023). Engineering Biofouling Resistant Materials Through the Systematic Adaptation of Surface Morphology. Advanced Materials Interfaces vol. 10 (12) 24-04-2023
2022
Chen F, Wang Y, Tian Y, Zhang D, Song J, Crick CR, Carmalt CJ, Parkin IP and Lu Y (2022). Robust and durable liquid-repellent surfaces. Chemical Society Reviews, Royal Society of Chemistry vol. 51 (20), 8476-8583. 03-10-2022
Zhang L, Mehanna YA, Crick CR and Poole RJ (2022). Surface Tension and Viscosity Dependence of Slip Length over Irregularly Structured Superhydrophobic Surfaces. Langmuir, American Chemical Society (ACS) vol. 38 (39), 11873-11881. 20-09-2022
Mehanna YA and Crick CR (2022). Study on the Influence of Polymer/Particle Properties on the Resilience of Superhydrophobic Coatings. ACS Omega, American Chemical Society (ACS) vol. 7 (21), 18052-18062. 18-05-2022
Upton RL, Dop RA, Sadler E, Lunt AM, Neill DR, Hasell T and Crick CR (2022). Investigating the viability of sulfur polymers for the fabrication of photoactive, antimicrobial, water repellent coatings. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) vol. 10 (22), 4153-4162. 01-01-2022
2021
Mehanna YA and Crick CR (2021). Image analysis methodology for a quantitative evaluation of coating abrasion resistance. Applied Materials Today, Elsevier vol. 25 01-12-2021
Upton RL, Fedosyuk A, Edel JB and Crick CR (2021). Carbon Nanofiber/SiO2 Nanoparticle/HDPE Composites as Physically Resilient and Submersible Water-Repellent Coatings on HDPE Substrates. ACS Applied Nano Materials, American Chemical Society (ACS) vol. 4 (10), 10090-10102. 24-09-2021
Sadler E and Crick CR (2021). Suction or gravity-fed oil-water separation using PDMS-coated glass filters. Sustainable Materials and Technologies, Elsevier vol. 29 01-09-2021
Mehanna YA, Sadler E, Upton RL, Kempchinsky AG, Lu Y and Crick CR (2021). The challenges, achievements and applications of submersible superhydrophobic materials. Chemical Society Reviews, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) vol. 50 (11), 6569-6612. 01-01-2021
2020
Mehanna YA and Crick CR (2020). Heat-Treated Micronized Polyethylene Powder for Efficient Oil/Water Separating Filters. Materials, MDPI vol. 13 (14) 15-07-2020
Upton RL and Crick CR (2020). Pigmented self-cleaning coatings with enhanced UV resilience via the limitation of photocatalytic activity and its effects. Molecular Systems Design && Engineering, Royal Society of Chemistry vol. 5 (4), 876-881. 26-02-2020
Upton RL, Davies-Manifold Z, Marcello M, Arnold K and Crick CR (2020). A general formulation approach for the fabrication of water repellent materials: how composition can impact resilience and functionality. Molecular Systems Design & Engineering, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) vol. 5 (2), 477-483. 01-01-2020
2019
Mehanna YA, Upton RL and Crick CR (2019). Highly rough surface coatings via the ambient temperature deposition of thermosetting polymers. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Royal Society of Chemistry vol. 7 (13), 7333-7337. 04-03-2019
2018
Xu H, Crick CR and Poole RJ (2018). Evaluating the resilience of superhydrophobic materials using the slip-length concept. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Royal Society of Chemistry vol. 6 (10), 4458-4465. 14-03-2018
2017
Peveler WJ, Noimark S, Al-Azawi H, Hwang GB, Crick CR, Allan E, Edel JB, Ivanov AP, MacRobert AJ and Parkin IP (2017). Covalently Attached Antimicrobial Surfaces Using BODIPY: Improving Efficiency and Effectiveness. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, American Chemical Society (ACS) vol. 10 (1), 98-104. 19-12-2017
Crick CR, Albella P, Kim H-J, Ivanov AP, Kim K-B, Maier SA and Edel JB (2017). Low-Noise Plasmonic Nanopore Biosensors for Single Molecule Detection at Elevated Temperatures. ACS Photonics, American Chemical Society (ACS) vol. 4 (11), 2835-2842. 16-10-2017
Crick C (2017). Engineering functional polymer coatings through the modification of morphology and surface chemistry. 01-01-2017
2016
Pitchford WH, Crick CR, Kim H-J, Ivanov AP, Kim H-M, Yu J-S, Albrecht T, Kim K-B and Edel JB (2016). Chapter 9 Low Noise Nanopore Platforms Optimised for the Synchronised Optical and Electrical Detection of Biomolecules. Nanofluidics 270-300. 11-11-2016
Crick CR, Noimark S, Peveler WJ, Bear JC, Ivanov AP, Edel JB and Parkin IP (2016). Advanced Compositional Analysis of Nanoparticle-polymer Composites Using Direct Fluorescence Imaging. Journal of Visualized Experiments, MyJove (113) 19-07-2016
Crick CR, Noimark S, Peveler WJ, Bear JC, Ivanov AP, Edel JB and Parkin IP (2016). Advanced Compositional Analysis of Nanoparticle-polymer Composites Using Direct Fluorescence Imaging. Journal of Visualized Experiments, MyJove (113) 19-07-2016
Freedman KJ, Crick CR, Albella P, Barik A, Ivanov AP, Maier SA, Oh S-H and Edel JB (2016). On-Demand Surface- and Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Using Dielectrophoretic Trapping and Nanopore Sensing. ACS Photonics, American Chemical Society (ACS) vol. 3 (6), 1036-1044. 18-05-2016
Gao J, Uribe-Romo FJ, Saathoff JD, Arslan H, Crick CR, Hein SJ, Itin B, Clancy P, Dichtel WR and Loo YL (2016). Ambipolar Transport in Solution-Synthesized Graphene Nanoribbons. ACS Nano, American Chemical Society vol. 10 (4), 4847-4856. 26-04-2016
Ozkan E, Crick CC, Taylor A, Allan E and Parkin IP (2016). Copper-based water repellent and antibacterial coatings by aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition. Chemical Science, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) vol. 7 (8), 5126-5131. 01-01-2016
2015
Turek VA, Francescato Y, Cadinu P, Crick CR, Elliott L, Chen Y, Urland V, Ivanov AP, Velleman L, Hong M, Vilar R, Maier SA, Giannini V and Edel JB (2015). Self-Assembled Spherical Supercluster Metamaterials from Nanoscale Building Blocks. ACS Photonics, American Chemical Society (ACS) vol. 3 (1), 35-42. 08-12-2015
Crick CR, Ozkan FT and Parkin IP (2015). Fabrication of optimized oil–water separation devices through the targeted treatment of silica meshes. Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, Taylor & Francis vol. 16 (5) 22-10-2015
Crick CR, Sze JYY, Rosillo-Lopez M, Salzmann CG and Edel JB (2015). Selectively Sized Graphene-Based Nanopores for in Situ Single Molecule Sensing. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, American Chemical Society (ACS) vol. 7 (32), 18188-18194. 04-08-2015
Lu Y, Sathasivam S, Song J, Crick CR, Carmalt CJ and Parkin IP (2015). Robust self-cleaning surfaces that function when exposed to either air or oil. Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) vol. 347 (6226), 1132-1135. 06-03-2015
Clough MT, Crick CR, Gräsvik J, Hunt PA, Niedermeyer H, Welton T and Whitaker OP (2015). A physicochemical investigation of ionic liquid mixtures. Chemical Science, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) vol. 6 (2), 1101-1114. 01-01-2015
Crick CR, Noimark S, Peveler WJ, Bear JC, Ivanov AP, Edel JB and Parkin IP (2015). Advanced analysis of nanoparticle composites – a means toward increasing the efficiency of functional materials. RSC Advances, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) vol. 5 (66), 53789-53795. 01-01-2015
2014
Crick CR, Albella P, Ng B, Ivanov AP, Roschuk T, Cecchini MP, Bresme F, Maier SA and Edel JB (2014). Precise Attoliter Temperature Control of Nanopore Sensors Using a Nanoplasmonic Bullseye. Nano Letters, American Chemical Society (ACS) vol. 15 (1), 553-559. 08-12-2014
Crick CR, Bhachu DS and Parkin IP (2014). Superhydrophobic silica wool—a facile route to separating oil and hydrophobic solvents from water. Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, Taylor & Francis vol. 15 (6) 01-12-2014
2013
Draper MC, Crick CR, Orlickaite V, Turek VA, Parkin IP and Edel JB (2013). Superhydrophobic Surfaces as an On-Chip Microfluidic Toolkit for Total Droplet Control. Analytical Chemistry, American Chemical Society (ACS) vol. 85 (11), 5405-5410. 20-05-2013
Crick CR, Gibbins JA and Parkin IP (2013). Superhydrophobic polymer -coated copper-mesh; membranes for highly efficient oil–water separation. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) vol. 1 (19), 5943-5948. 01-01-2013
Crick CR and Parkin IP (2013). Relationship between surface hydrophobicity and water bounces – a dynamic method for accessing surface hydrophobicity. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) vol. 1 (3), 799-804. 01-01-2013
Crick CR, Bear JC, Southern P and Parkin IP (2013). A general method for the incorporation of nanoparticles into superhydrophobic films by aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) vol. 1 (13), 4336-4344. 01-01-2013
2012
Crick CR, Bear JC, Kafizas A and Parkin IP (2012). Superhydrophobic Photocatalytic Surfaces through Direct Incorporation of Titania Nanoparticles into a Polymer Matrix by Aerosol Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition. Advanced Materials, Wiley vol. 24 (26), 3505-3508. 18-06-2012
2011
Crick CR, Clausen-Thue V and Parkin IP (2011). Aerosol Assisted Depositions of Polymers Using an Atomiser Delivery System. 01-09-2011
Crick CR, Ismail S, Pratten J and Parkin IP (2011). An investigation into bacterial attachment to an elastomeric superhydrophobic surface prepared via aerosol assisted deposition. Thin Solid Films, Elsevier vol. 519 (11), 3722-3727. 01-03-2011
Crick CR and Parkin IP (2011). Superhydrophobic silica films on glass formed by hydrolysis of an acidic aerosol of tetraethylorthosilicate. Journal of Materials Chemistry, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) vol. 21 (25), 9362-9366. 01-01-2011
Crick CR and Parkin IP (2011). Water droplet bouncing—a definition for superhydrophobic surfaces. Chemical Communications, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) vol. 47 (44), 12059-12061. 01-01-2011
Crick CR and Parkin IP (2011). CVD of copper and copper oxide thin films via the in situ reduction of copper(ii) nitrate—a route to conformal superhydrophobic coatings. Journal of Materials Chemistry, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) vol. 21 (38), 14712-14716. 01-01-2011
Crick CR and Parkin IP (2011). Aerosol assisted deposition of melamine-formaldehyde resin: Hydrophobic thin films from a hydrophilic material. Thin Solid Films, Elsevier vol. 519 (7), 2181-2186. 01-01-2011
2010
Kafizas A, Crick C and Parkin IP (2010). The combinatorial atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition (cAPCVD) of a gradating substitutional/interstitial N-doped anatase TiO2 thin-film; UVA and visible light photocatalytic activities. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A Chemistry, Elsevier vol. 216 (2-3), 156-166. 01-12-2010
Crick CR and Parkin IP (2010). ChemInform Abstract: Preparation and Characterization of Super‐Hydrophobic Surfaces. ChemInform, Wiley vol. 41 (26), no-no. 08-06-2010
Crick CR and Parkin IP (2010). Superhydrophobic polymer films via aerosol assisted deposition — Taking a leaf out of nature's book. Thin Solid Films, Elsevier vol. 518 (15), 4328-4335. 01-05-2010
Crick CR and Parkin IP (2010). Preparation and Characterisation of Super‐Hydrophobic Surfaces. Chemistry - A European Journal, Wiley vol. 16 (12), 3568-3588. 16-03-2010
2009
Crick CR and Parkin IP (2009). A single step route to superhydrophobic surfaces through aerosol assisted deposition of rough polymer surfaces: duplicating the lotus effect. Journal of Materials Chemistry, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) vol. 19 (8), 1074-1076. 01-01-2009
Grants
Grants of specific relevance to the Centre for Sustainable EngineeringScalable Manufacturing of Single-Crystal Perovskite Optical and Electronic Devices: Follow-OnLei Su, Oliver Fenwick, Colin Crick and Stoichko Dimitrov
£941,955 EPSRC Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (01-03-2024 - 28-02-2027)