Prof. Graham J. Leggett

Biographical Sketch

Prof. Leggett obtained a BSc in Chemistry from UMIST in 1987. His PhD from the same institution, obtained in 1990, was followed by consecutive appointments as Research Associate at Universities of Washington and Nottingham. In 1994 he was appointed as lecturer at the University of Nottingham 1994-98. He became a Lecturer at UMIST in 1998, where he was subsequently promoted to senior lecturer and reader. In 2002 he was appointed as Professor of nanoscale analytical chemistry at the University of Sheffield.

Research Keywords

Analytical Science, Scanning Probe Microscopy, Near-Field Optics, Nanofabrication, Biomaterials, Surface Chemistry.

Teaching Keywords

Analytical Chemistry; Surface Chemistry

Selected Publications:

Micrometer- and Nanometer-Scale Photopatterning Using 2-Nitrophenylpropyloxycarbonyl-Protected Aminosiloxane Monolayers, Shahrul A. Alang Ahmad, Lu Shin Wong, Ehtsham ul-Haq, Jamie K. Hobbs, Graham J. Leggett and Jason Micklefield, J. Am Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 1513–1522.
Protein Micro- and Nanopatterning Using Aminosilanes with Protein-Resistant Photolabile Protecting Groups, Shahrul A. Alang Ahmad, Lu Shin Wong, Ehtsham ul-Haq, Jamie K. Hobbs, Graham J. Leggett and Jason Micklefield, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2011, 133, 2749-2759.
Contact Mechanics of Nanometer-Scale Molecular Contacts: Correlation between Adhesion, Friction, and Hydrogen Bond Thermodynamics, Katerina Busuttil, Mark Geoghegan, Christopher A. Hunter and Graham J. Leggett, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2011, 133, 8625-8632.
Influence of Solvent Environment and Tip Chemistry on the Contact Mechanics of Tip-Sample Interactions in Friction Force Microscopy of Self Assembled Monolayers of Mercaptoundecanoic Acid and Dodecanethiol, Tracie J. Colburn and Graham J. Leggett, Langmuir 2007, 23, 4959-64.
Parallel Scanning Near-Field Photolithography: The Snomipede, Ehtsham ul Haq, Zhuming Liu, Yuan Zhang, Shahrul A. Alang Ahmad, Lu-Shin Wong, Steven P. Armes, Jamie K. Hobbs, Graham J. Leggett, Jason Micklefield, Clive J. Roberts and John M. R. Weaver, Nano Lett. 2010, 10, 4375–4380.
Light-directed nanosynthesis: near-field optical approaches to integration of the top-down and bottom-up fabrication paradigms, Graham J. Leggett, Nanoscale 2012, 4, 1840-1855.
Relationship Between Molecular Contact Thermodynamics and Surface Contact Mechanics, Nikolaos Nikogeorgos, Christopher A. Hunter and Graham J. Leggett, Langmuir 2012, 28, 17709-17717.
Site-Specific Immobilization and Micrometer and Nanometer Scale Photopatterning of Yellow Fluorescent Protein on Glass Surfaces, Nicholas P. Reynolds, Jaimey D. Tucker, Paul A. Davison, John A. Timney, C. Neil Hunter and Graham J. Leggett, J. Am Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 896-897.
Generation of Nanostructures by Scanning Near-field Photolithogrophy of Self-Assembled Monolayers and Wet Chemical Etching, S. Sun and G. J. Leggett, Nano Lett. 2002, 2, 1223-1227.
Matching the Resolution of Electron Beam Lithography by Scanning Near-Field Photolithography, Shuqing Sun and Graham J Leggett, Nano Lett. 2004, 4, 1381-1384.

Research Interests

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) has revolutionised our ability to characterise the surface morphologies of complex and difficult materials. However, much more exciting and potentially more powerful are the capabilities that SPM techniques provide for the measurement of surface properties and for the manipulation of molecular structure. Our work focuses on the development of quantitative measurement tools for the investigation of molecular and polymeric surfaces (for example, the development of friction and chemical force microscopies for studying nanometre scale tribological phenomena).

Besides offering tools for surface characterisation, scanning probe instruments provide powerful capabilities for the modification of surface molecular structure. We have developed a new technique, scanning near-field photolithography, in which a scanning near-field optical microscope is used to fabricate structures that may be as small as 9 nm, using photochemical reactions. Our goal is to integrate top-down (lithographic) methods with bottom-up (synthetic) techniques by exploiting the versatility of photochemical methods as tools for executing very specific molecular transformations, in combination with the exquisite spatial resolution accessible in the near field. A particular emphasis of our work is the development of methods for the fabrication of biological nanostructures for use in novel highly miniaturised, high sensitivity analytical systems.

Teaching Section

Physical Chemistry

Undergraduate Courses Taught

Fuel (Year 1)
The aim of this segment is to explore how chemical principles may be used to make qualitative assessments of the efficiency of energy production by a variety of means, and to explore the complexity of many of the issues that currently face society as it grapples with the problems of climate change and energy supply scarcity.
UV-visible and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (Year 2)
The aims of this segment are to introduce general principles that apply to spectroscopic analysis, and to describe in more detail the use of UV-visible spectroscopy and magnetic resonance spectroscopy in molecular structure determination. Emphasis is placed on understanding the basic physical principles underpinning the techniques.
Solid Surfaces and Catalysis (Year 3)
This course considers the nature of gas-solid interactions and their relationship to catalytic activity.
Nanochemistry (Year 4)
Provide an overview of the role of chemistry in nanotechnology, and introduce students to major techniques for the fabrication and characterisation of nanostructured materials and devices.

Postgraduate Courses Taught

CHM6201: Polymer characterisation and Analysis C

Tutorial & Workshop Support

First Year Workshops.
Second Year Physical Chemistry Tutorials.
Second Year Workshops.
Third Year Workshops.
Third Year Literature Review.
Fourth Year Workshops.

Laboratory Teaching

Second Year Laboratory Demonstrating
Third Year Advanced Physical Chemistry
Fourth Year Research Project.

Professor of Nanoscale Analytical Chemistry