People in the Department
 

Dr Upul Wijayantha

Senior Lecturer in Physical Chemistry
BSc, MPhil, PhD (Bath), MRSC
Telephone: +44(0)1509 222574
Fax: +44(0)1509 223925
Email: U.Wijayantha@lboro.ac.uk


Personal

Upul Wijayantha graduated from University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka in 1993. Then he received his MPhil (at the Institute of Fundamental Studies, Sri Lanka) in 1997 and completed a PhD (at the University of Bath, UK) in the area of semiconductor photoelectrochemistry under the supervision of Prof Laurie Peter in 2000. After spending another 3 years as a postdoctoral fellow at Bath he joined Hydrogen Solar Ltd to work on photoelectrochemical water splitting technology. In 2007 he moved to his current position.

Research Interests

  • Renewable Energy generation - Photovoltaic Cells, Solar Hydrogen Cells and Thermoelectric devices (Materials, Devices, Characterisation, and Scale Up)
  • Energy Storage - Supercapacitors (Materials, Devices, Characterisation, and Scale Up)
  • Energy Conservation - Smart Windows and IR Switchable Windows (Materials, Devices, Characterisation, and Scale Up).
  • CO2 reduction/conversion/trapping (Materials, Devices, Characterisation, and Scale Up).
  • Material Preparation/Processing Under Microwave

External Collaborators and Sponsors

EPSRC, British Council, DSTL, Johnson Matthey Plc, Tata Steel, Polysolar Ltd, Bac2 Ltd, NOKIA, Sasakawa Foundation.

Birmingham University, Nottingham University, Bath University, Cambridge University, Glasgow University, Reading University, Brunel University, Leeds University, Imperial Collage, Bristol University, University of Malaya (Malaysia), National University of Malaysia, University of Melbourne (Australia).

Recent Awards

  1. Nirmal Peiris, S Senthilarasu, Upul Wijayantha*, 1st Prize (Poster Presentations) – Great Western Electrochemistry Conference, Bath University 2011, 6th June 2011.
  2. Henry Burch, Asif Tahir, Upul Wijayantha* & Bruno Pollet, 1st Prize (Oral Presentations) - Great Western Electrochemistry Conference, Bath University 2011, 6th June 2011.
  3. Nirmal Peiris, S Senthilarasu, Upul Wijayantha*, 2nd Prize (Poster Presentations) - Midland Electrochemistry Conference, Warwick University 2011, 5th May 2011.
  4. Henry Burch, Asif Tahir, Upul Wijayantha* & Bruno Pollet, 2nd Prize (Oral Presentations) - Midland Electrochemistry Conference, Warwick University 2011, 5th May 2011.
  5. Henry Burch, Asif Tahir, Upul Wijayantha* & Bruno Pollet, Runners up Prize (Poster Presentations), Loughborough University Graduate School poster competition 2011, 5th May 2011.
  6. Tom Smith & Upul Wijayantha*, 2nd Prize (Poster Presentations), Loughborough Science Faculty poster competition 2011, 14th April 2011.
  7. Upul Wijayantha & Steve Fletcher, Runners up Prize, Loughborough University Enterprise Awards, Commercialization category 2010, 6th October 2010.
  8. Henry Burch & Upul Wijayantha*, The Astra Zeneca Prize (Poster Presentations), Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, 13th May 2009.
  9. Sina Saremi & Upul Wijayantha*, 3rd prize (Poster Presentations), Electrochem 09 conference, Manchester University, 17th September 2009.
  10. Ruvini Dharmadasa & Upul Wijayantha*, 1st Prize (Poster Presentations), Great Western Electrochemistry Conference, University of Bath, 6th June 2009.

Professional Activities/qualifications

  • Member, International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE).
  • Member, Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC).
  • Fellow, Higher Education Academy (FHEA).
  • Member, Downland Section Trust Committee, RSC (2003-2006).
  • Leadership Award, level 3, Institute of Leadership & Management. 2011.
  • Member, Electrochemistry Group Committee, RSC (April 2011 – to date).
  • Secretary (Elect), Electrochemistry Group Committee, RSC (Sept 2011 – to date).

Selected Publications

  1. C.Y.Cummings, F.Marken, L.M.Peter, K.G.U.Wijayantha and A.A.Tahir, New insights into Oxygen evolution at mesoporous α-Fe2O3 films: A study by modulated transmittance and impedance, Journal of American Chemical Society, (2012), 134, 1228−1234.
  2. T.A.N.Peiris, S.Sundaram, and K.G.U.Wijayantha, Enhanced performance of flexible dye sensitized solar cells: Electrodeposition of Mg(OH)2 on nanocrystalline TiO2 electrode, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, (2012), 116 (1), 1211–1218.
  3. C.Y.Cummings, F.Marken, L.M.Peter, A. A.Tahir and K.G.U.Wijayantha, Kinetics and mechanism of light-driven oxygen evolution at thin film α-Fe2O3 electrodes, Chemical Communications, (2012), 48, 2027–2029.
  4. R.Dharmadasa, A.A.Tahir and K.G.U.Wijayantha, Single step growth and characterization of zinc oxide, tin oxide and composite (ZnxSn1-xOy) nanoplate and nanocolumn electrodes, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, (2011), 94 (10), 3540-3546.
  5. L.M.Peter, K.G.U.Wijayantha, A.A.Tahir, Kinetics of light-driven oxygen evolution at α-Fe2O3 electrodes, Faraday Discussion, DOI: 10.1039/C1FD00079A, July 2011.
  6. B.R.Buckley, A.P.Patel and K.G.U.Wijayantha, Electrosynthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and atmospheric pressure of CO2, Chemical Communications, (2011), 47 (43), 11888 - 11890.
  7. K.G.U.Wijayantha, S.Saremi-Yarahmadi and L.M.Peter, Kinetics of oxygen evolution at α-Fe2O3 photoanodes: a study by photoelectrochemical impedance spectroscopy, PCCP, (2011), 13, 5264 - 5270.
  8. A.A.Tahir, M.A.Ehsan, M.Mazhar, K.G.U.Wijayantha, M.Zeller and A.D.Hunter, Fabrication of Bi2S3 Nanotubes, and Nanoparticles thin films for Photoelectrochemical and Photoresponsive Applications, Chemistry of Materials, (2010), 22, 5084-5092.
  9. R.Dharmadasa, K.G.U.Wijayantha, A.A.Tahir, ZnO-SnO2 Composite Anodes in Extremely Thin Absorber-Layer (ETA) Solar Cells, Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, (2010), 646, 124-132.
  10. A.A.Tahir, K.G.U.Wijayantha, S.Saremi-Yarahmadi, M.Mazhar, V.McKee, Nanostructured α-Fe2O3 Thin Films for Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Generation, Chemistry of Materials, (2009), 21,  3763-3772.
  11. S.Saremi-Yarahmadi, K.G.U.Wijayantha, A.A.Tahir, B.Vaidhyanathan, Nanostructured α-Fe2O3 for solar driven water splitting: Effect of doping agents on preparation and performance, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, (2009), 113 (12), 4768-4778.
  12. K.Tennakone and K.G.U.Wijayantha, Photocatalysis of CFC degradation by titanium dioxide. Applied Catalysis, B: Environmental, (2005), 57(1), 9.
  13. K.G.U.Wijayantha, L.M.Peter and L.C.Otley, Fabrication of CdS quantum dot sensitized solar cells via a pressing route, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, (2004), 83(4), 363.
  14. L.M.Peter, K.G.U.Wijayantha, D.J.Riley and J.P.Waggett, Band-edge Tuning in Self-assembled Layers of Bi2S3 Nanoparticles used to Photosensitize Nanocrystalline TiO2, Journal of Physical Chemistry B, (2003),  107(33), 8378.
  15. L.M.Peter, D.J.Riley, E.J.Tull and K.G.U.Wijayantha, Photosensitization of nanocrystalline TiO2 by self-assembled layers of CdS quantum dots, Chemical Communications, (2002), 10, 1030.
  16. L.M.Peter and K.G.U.Wijayantha, Electron transport and back reaction in dye-sensitised nanocrystalline photovoltaic cells, Electrochimica Acta, (2000), 45(28), 4543.
  17. N.W.Duffy, L.M.Peter, R.M.G.Rajapakse, and K.G.U.Wijayantha, A novel charge extraction method for the study of electron transport and interfacial transfer in dye-sensitised nanocrystalline solar cells, Electrochemistry Communications, (2000), 2(9),  658.
  18. A.C.Fisher, L.M.Peter, E.A.Ponomarev, A.B.Walker and K.G.U.Wijayantha, Intensity Dependence of the Back Reaction and Transport of Electrons in Dye-sensitized nanocrystalline TiO2 Solar Cells, Journal of Physical Chemistry B (2000), 104(5),  949.
  19. K.Tennakone, G.R.R.A.Kumara, I.R.M.Kottegoda, K.G.U.Wijayantha and V.P.S.Perera, A solid state PV cell sensitized with a ruthenium bipyridyl complex, Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, (1998), 31(12), 1492.
  20. K.Tennakone, G.R.R.A.Kumara, A.R.Kumarasinghe, K.G.U.Wijayantha and P.M. Sirimanne, A dye-sensitized nano-porous solid-state photovoltaic cell, Semiconductor Science and Technology, (1995), 10(12), 1689.

 

Extended list of publications

 
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