Staff profile

Research Interests

Materials for sensing, delivery of actives and drugs

We use liposomes, gels and nanomaterials for in-vivo and in-vitro sensing and delivery. The aim is to develop materials that are biocompatible and ’soft’ for replacing solid state devices. The picture on the left shows a PEDOT/CNT modified biocompatible hydrogel which is electrochemical and mechano sensitive.

This work additionally extends to collaborative work with Procter and Gamble for delivery of actives.

Electrochemical measurement of electron and ion transport at liquid-liquid interfaces

Electrochemistry at the liquid‑liquid interface or the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) is a simple model of the biological membrane. It provides a means to study the transfer of a wide range of compounds. These electrochemical processes are especially interesting as they can provide information about the non-redox-active species, whole cells, bioactive molecules and ions. We have used the liquid liquid interfac for studying chiral interctions between drugs and proteins, lipid‑bioactive molecule interactions amongst others.

Current collaborative work with Procter and Gamble extends to studying detergency at a liquid-liquid interface.

Interactions of lipid membranes and cell mimics with bioactive molecules

Electron and ion transfer properties of supported and black lipid membranes modified with membrane associated molecules are studied using electrochemistry, impedance spectroscopy and Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy.

Developing sensors and biosensors for environmental, clinical and pharmaceutical monitoring.

We have developed sensors electrochemical sensors for a wide range of applications in novel formats includingchiral sensors, multi‑analyte sensing platforms microelectrode arrays, chemically responsive micro grippers, sensors for formaldehyde monitoring amongst others.

• Electrochemistry
• Sensors
• Charge Transfer at Interfaces

• 2000: Esteem indicators from 2007-2014:

  Notable Invited, Keynote, Plenary Lectures:

  • Portuguese Electrochemical Society Annual Meeting, Coviliha, Plenary , 2007
  • Golden Jubilee of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, India, conference on Electroanalysis. Plenary Talk and workshop, 2008
  • International Society for Electrochemistry, Turku, Finland, Keynote,2011
  • Annual Meeting of Indian Society of Electrochemistry Plenary, 2012
  • Bioelectrochemistry workshop, Lochow, Poland,2013
  • International Society for Electrochemistry, Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico,2013
  • International Society of Electrochemisry, Malmo, Sweden,Keynote,2014
  • Electrchem 2014, New Horizons in Electrochemistry , Loughborough UK, Keynote, 2014
  •  ECHEMS 2014 , Electrochemistry in Molecular Understanding, Wells, UK, invited , 17-20 June 2014

  Chairs at International conferences:

  • Chair of the electroanalytical session at the 57th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry, Edinburgh., 2007
  • Organiser and chair of symposium on Electroanalysis at Electrochem 2012, RSC Electrochemistry Group i, 2012
  • Chair of the Analytical Research Forum 2012, Durham.2012
  • Scientific committee member and symposium chair in Faraday Discussion 164, Electroanalyses at the Nanoscale,.2013
  • Chair of Electrochem 2015, Moleculear Materials in Electrchemsitry, 13-15 Sept 2015

Journal Article

• Silwane, B., Wilson, M., & Kataky, R. (2023). An Electrochemistry and Computational Study at an Electrified Liquid–Liquid Interface for Studying Beta-Amyloid Aggregation. Membranes, 13(6), Article 584. https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13060584
• Haghighian, N., & Kataky, R. (2023). Rapid fingerprinting of bacterial species using nanocavities created on screen-printed electrodes modified by β-cyclodextrin. Sensors & Diagnostics, 2(5), 1228-1235. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3sd00074e
• Bunga, Y., & Kataky, R. (2020). Real time monitoring of interactions of gold nanoparticles with supported phospholipid lipid layers. Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, 872, Article 114302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelechem.2020.114302
• Grant, J. A., Lu, Z., Tucker, D. E., Hockin, B. M., Yufit, D. S., Fox, M. A., …O'Donoghue, A. C. (2017). New Blatter-type radicals from a bench-stable carbene. Nature Communications, 8, Article 15088. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15088
• Carter, Z., & Kataky, R. (2017). A G-quadruplex aptamer based impedimetric sensor for free lysine and arginine. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 243, 904-909. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2016.12.010
• Ntola, C., & Kataky, R. (2017). ‘Soft’ electroactive particles and their interaction with lipid membranes. Electrochemistry Communications, 77, 65-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elecom.2017.02.017
• Chowdhury, M., & Kataky, R. (2016). Emulsification at the liquid-liquid interfaces: effects of potential, electrolytes and surfactants. ChemPhysChem, 17(1), 105-111. https://doi.org/10.1002/cphc.201500847
• Kataky, R., Hadden, J., Coleman, K., Ntola, C., Chowdhury, M., Duckworth, A., …Shenton, F. (2015). Graphene oxide nanocapsules within silanized hydrogels suitable for electrochemical pseudocapacitors. Chemical Communications, 51(51), 10345-10348. https://doi.org/10.1039/c5cc00968e
• Daunton, R., Wood, D., Gallant, A., & Kataky, R. (2014). A microgripper sensor device capable of detecting ion efflux from whole cells. RSC Advances, 4(92), 50536-50541. https://doi.org/10.1039/c4ra05052e
• Tarran, W., Freeman, G., Murphy, L., Benham, A., Kataky, R., & Williams, J. (2014). Platinum(II) Complexes of N^C^N‑Coordinating 1,3-Bis(2-pyridyl)benzene Ligands: Thiolate Coligands Lead to Strong Red Luminescence from Charge-Transfer States. Inorganic Chemistry, 53(11), 5738-5749. https://doi.org/10.1021/ic500555w
• Sulaiman, Y., Knight, M., & Kataky, R. (2012). Non-invasive monitoring of temperature stress in Arabidopsis thaliana roots, using ion amperometry. Analytical Methods, 4(6), 1656-1661. https://doi.org/10.1039/c2ay05747f
• Sulaiman, Y., & Kataky, R. (2012). Chiral acid selectivity displayed by PEDOT electropolymerised in presence of chiral molecules. Analyst, 137(10), 2386-2393. https://doi.org/10.1039/c2an15854j
• Campos, R., & Kataky, R. (2012). Electron transport in supported and tethered lipid bilayers modified with bioelectroactive molecules. Journal of Physical Chemistry B (Soft Condensed Matter and Biophysical Chemistry), 116(13), 3909-3917. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp209772u
• Lopes, P., & Kataky, R. (2012). Chiral interactions of the drug propranolol and α1 acid glycoprotein at a micro Liquid-liquid Interface. Analytical Chemistry, 84(5), https://doi.org/10.1021/ac2029425
• Dellavalle, A., Maroli, G., Covarello, D., Azzoni, E., Innocenzi, A., Perani, L., …Cossu, G. (2011). Pericytes resident in postnatal skeletal muscle differentiate into muscle fibres and generate satellite cells. Nature Communications, 2(1), Article 499. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms1508
• Suri, A., Campos, R., Rackus, D., Spiller, N., Richardson, C., Pǻlsson, L., & Kataky, R. (2011). Liposome-doped hydrogel for implantable tissue. Soft Matter, 7(15), 7071-7077. https://doi.org/10.1039/c1sm05530e
• Jackson, T., Sanderson, J., & Kataky, R. (2008). A Gramicidin Analogue that Exhibits Redox Potential Dependent Cation Influx. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 130(2), 630-637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2007.10.019
• Kruusma, J., Benham, A. M., Gareth Williams, J., & Kataky, R. (2006). An introduction to thiol redox proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum and a review of current electrochemical methods of detection of thiols. Analyst, 131(4), 459-473. https://doi.org/10.1039/b515874e
• Dias-Gunasekara, S., van Lith, M., Williams, J., Kataky, R., & Benham, A. (2006). Mutations in the FAD binding domain cause stress-induced misoxidation of the endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductase Ero1b. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 281(35), 25018-25025. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m602354200
• Dias-Gunasekara, S., van Lith, M., Kataky, R., Williams, G., & Benham, A. (2006). Expression, interactions and dynamics of the oxidoreductase Ero1Lbeta. FASEB Journal, 20(4), https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.20.4.a500-c
• Ben Rayana, M., Burnett, R., Covington, A., D'Orazio, P., Fogh-Andersen, N., Jacobs, E., …St John, A. (2006). Recommendation for measuring and reporting chloride by ISEs in undiluted serum, plasma or blood. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, 44(3), 346-352. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm.2006.060
• Filby, M., Humphries, T., Turner, D., Kataky, R., Kruusma, J., & Steed, J. (2006). Modular assembly of a preorganised, ditopic receptor for dicarboxylates. Chemical Communications, 2006(2), 156-158. https://doi.org/10.1039/b512779c
• Szarma, R., Batsanov, A., Kataky, R., & Baruah, J. (2006). Structural investigations on quinone methides for understanding their properties in confined media. Journal of Inclusion Phenomena and Macrocyclic Chemistry, 55(1-2), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10847-005-9001-1
• Dias-Gunasekara, S., Gubbens, J., van Lith, M., Dunne, C., Williams, J., Kataky, R., …Benham, A. (2005). Tissue-specific expression and dimerization of the endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductase Erolb. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 280(38), 33066-33075. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m505023200
• Barbetta, A., Carnachan, R., Smith, K., Zhao, C., Cameron, N., Kataky, R., …Swan, M. (2005). Porous polymers by emulsion templating. Macromolecular Symposia, 226(1), 203-212. https://doi.org/10.1002/masy.200550819
• Congreve, A., Kataky, R., Knell, M., Parker, D., Puschmann, H., Senanayake, K., & Wylie, L. (2003). Examination of cobalt, nickel, copper and zinc(II) complex geometry and binding affinity in aqueous media using simple pyridylsulfonamide ligands. New Journal of Chemistry, 27(1), 98-106
• Kataky, R., Bryce, M., Goldenberg, L., Hayes, S., & Nowak, A. (2002). A biosensor for monitoring formaldehyde using a new lipophilic tetrathiafulvalene-tetracyanoquinodimethane salt and a polyurethane membrane. Talanta, 56(3), 451-458
• Blair, S., Kataky, R., & Parker, D. (2002). Sol gel-immobilised terbium complexes for luminescent sensing of dissolved oxygen by analysis of emission decay. New Journal of Chemistry, 26(5), 530-535
• Blair, S., Lowe, M., Mathieu, C., Parker, D., Senanayake, P., & Kataky, R. (2001). Narrow-range optical pH sensors based on luminescent europium and terbium complexes immobilized in a sol gel glass. Inorganic Chemistry, 40(23), 5860-5867