Dr Volkan Degirmenci

Biography

I lead a research group working on porous functional materials — zeolites, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and MOF-derived carbons — for energy storage and sustainable chemical conversion. My particular approach is to watch these materials while they work: using in-situ and operando techniques (e.g. synchrotron XAFS and tomography) to see how a catalyst or electrode actually behaves under real operating conditions, not just before and after.

My current focus is battery materials: MOF-derived carbon electrocatalysts and single-atom catalysts for zinc-air batteries, sustainable PVDF-free binders for lithium-ion batteries, and operando synchrotron imaging of battery failure mechanisms such as dendrite growth. I'm also developing a new route to grow oriented MOF thin films directly onto electrode surfaces by inkjet printing — a technique not yet applied to batteries — as a route to precisely engineered electrode coatings.

This builds on 20 years working across heterogeneous catalysis and biomass valorisation, where I developed methods (in-situ EXAFS at ESRF, solid-state NMR, in-situ FT-IR & Raman) and custom reactor and cell designs that I still use today.

My group also runs a parallel, more exploratory strand in bioinspired engineering: studying the surface structures of pangolins, crocodiles, and big cats to redesign tyre and tread patterns for planetary rovers and low-compaction agricultural vehicles.

I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students and from research partners looking for expertise in porous materials synthesis, battery materials, or operando/in-situ characterisation.

Research Interests

- MOF-derived carbons and single-atom catalysts for zinc-air battery electrodes
- Sustainable, PVDF-free polymer binders for lithium-ion (NMC/LFP) batteries
- Operando synchrotron characterisation of battery failure (dendrite formation, catalyst degradation) via XAFS, tomography and micro-diffraction
- Surface-anchored MOF (SURMOF) thin films grown by inkjet printing, for battery and sensor electrodes
- Hierarchical zeolites and MOFs as catalysts for biomass conversion (glucose to HMF/FDCA)
- Custom in-situ/operando reactor and cell design for spectroscopy under real reaction conditions
- Bioinspired surface design (from pangolin, crocodile and large-cat morphology) for planetary-rover (e.g. Mars rover) and low-compaction agricultural tyres

Teaching

I teach across renewable energy and energy storage. I teach Renewable Energy (IL914), compulsory for the MSc in Humanitarian Engineering, and contribute to Energy and Sustainability, an optional fourth-year module. From 2026-2027, I will also be teaching a new optional fourth-year module, Batteries and Fuel Cells, reflecting my group's research focus on battery materials.

Publications

• Bimetallic melamine doped ZnCo-ZIF-8 derived carbons as bifunctional ORR/OER electrocatalysts for zinc–air batteries, Mater. Adv. 6, 2025, 7779–7790. full text & front cover

• Systematic modification of UiO‐66 metal‐organic frameworks for glucose conversion into 5‐hydroxymethyl furfural in water, ChemCatChem 13, 2021, 2517-2529, 2021. full textLink opens in a new window

• Exceptionally Efficient and Recyclable Heterogeneous Metal–Organic Framework Catalyst for Glucose Isomerization in Water, ChemCatChem 10, 2018, 651-651. full text & front cover

• Gallium and tin exchanged Y zeolites for glucose isomerisation and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural production, Appl. Catal. A: Gen. 605, 2020, 117798. full textLink opens in a new window 
• Design and operation of a radio-frequency heated micro-trickle bed reactor for consecutive catalytic reactions, Chem. Eng. J. 281, 2015, 884-891 full text & front cover

 Full list of publications can be reached here.Link opens in a new window

Join the Group

I am looking for PhD students interested in battery materials, porous solid catalysts, or in-situ/operando characterisation. Current and recent projects include zinc-air battery electrocatalysts, sustainable lithium-ion binders, MOF thin-film electrodes, and synchrotron studies of battery degradation. Chemical, mechanical, materials, or chemistry backgrounds are all welcome — get in touch to discuss.