Dr Nik Reeves-McLaren

BSc (Hons) PhD

School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering

Senior Lecturer in Energy Materials

Interim Head of the Engineering Graduate School

Laser Safety Officer

Raman Small Research Facility Lead

Dr Nik Reeves-McLaren
Profile picture of Dr Nik Reeves-McLaren
n.reeves@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 6013
Sir Robert Hadfield Building

Full contact details

Dr Nik Reeves-McLaren
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
Profile

I obtained my BSc (Hons) in Chemistry with New Materials Technology from The University of Aberdeen in 1999, before moving to The University of Sheffield where I undertook a PhD on "Novel Cathode and Anode Materials for Rechargeable Lithium-ion Batteries.

I was appointed as XRD Research Facility Manager in November 2003, and promoted to Research and Teaching Fellow in 2014 and then to Senior Lecturer in 2019. I became interim Head of the Engineering Graduate School in September 2024.

I am the Principal Investigators of the Advanced Characterisation of Energy Materials (AChem) research group in the department, as well as part of the broader Functional Materials & Devices research cluster. My primer 'Inside Energy Storage Materials' was published by AIP in 2022.

Research interests

My research programme focusses on energy storage materials, with work on electrode and solid electrolyte materials for lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery applications. I am lead supervisor for four PhD researchers, and have a particular interest in using X-ray techniques (diffraction and tomography), neutron diffraction and muon and Raman spectroscopies to understand the changes that occur at the atomic and microscopic levels during the charging and discharging of these key active materials during battery use.

The primary and secondary battery markets are hugely important both to consumers and to the economy, with lithium-ion batteries taking a ~37% share of a $74billion industry. Despite their successes and widespread application, there are still genuine concerns over the use of lithium-ion batteries with regards both to performance and safety, with reports that they can catch fire under certain circumstances. The hazards have several causes, but are due in part to the use of flammable organic electrolytes, the formation of solid-electrolyte interfaces and dendritic growth from electrodes causing short circuits. Smaller coin cell designs bring risks through ingestion, particularly by children, which can cause severe, rapid, sometimes fatal, injuries to the oesophagus and stomach. Electrode materials also often contain high levels of toxic, environmentally hazardous materials, e.g. cobalt. 

Key research interests:

  • Developing new positive electrode materials for Lithium-ion and Sodium-ion Battery Applications
  • In situ and operando characterisation of energy storage materials
  • Improving the cost and safety of battery manufacture
  • Developing Raman spectroscopic approaches for battery electrode manufacture quality control
Publications

Books

  • Reeves-McLaren N () . AIP Publishing LLCMelville, New York.

Journal articles

  • Martin DZC, Boston R, Adedayo BA, Smith R, Baker PJ, Diaz-Lopez M, Celorrio V & Reeves-McLaren N (2025) . Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.
  • Nohl JF, Farr NTH, Acocella MR, Knight AJ, Hughes GM, Zhang J, Robertson S, Micklethwaite S, Murphy S, Motlov獺 T , Walker C et al (2025) . Advanced Science.
  • Wilson G, Reeves-McLaren N & Boston R (2023) . Materials Research Express, 10(7).
  • Venegas CJ, Gutierrez FA, Reeves-McLaren N, Rivas GA, Ruiz-Le籀n D & Bollo S (2023) . Micromachines, 14(5).
  • Zilinskaite S, Reeves-McLaren N & Boston R (2022) . Frontiers in Energy Research, 10.
  • Fish KE, Reeves-McLaren N, Husband S & Boxall J (2020) . npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, 6.
  • Moran RF, Fernandes A, Dawson DM, Sneddon S, Gandy AS, Reeves-McLaren N, Whittle KR & Ashbrook SE (2020) . The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 124(31), 17073-17084.
  • Zheng P, Su J, Wang Y, Zhou W, Song J, Su Q, ReevesMcLaren N & Guo S (2020) . ChemSusChem, 13(7), 1793-1799.
  • Venegas CJ, Gutierrez FA, Egu穩laz M, Marco JF, Reeves-McLaren N, Rivas GA, Ruiz-Le籀n D & Bollo S (2019) . Nanomaterials, 9(11).
  • Martin DZC, Haworth AR, Schmidt WL, Baker PJ, Boston R, Johnston KE & Reeves-McLaren N (2019) . Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 21(41), 23111-23118.
  • Ros FC, Reeves-McLaren N, Mas籀 N & West AR (2019) . Journal of the Australian Ceramic Society, 55(2), 305-314.
  • Mottram L, Martin D, Reeves-McLaren N & Boston RH (2018) . Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 101(10), 4468-4471.
  • Zilinskaite S, Rennie A, Boston R & Reeves-McLaren N (2018) . Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 6(13), 5346-5355.
  • Ryabenkova Y, Jadav N, Conte M, Hippler MFA, Reeves-McLaren N, Coates PD, Twigg P & Paradkar A (2017) . Langmuir, 33(12), 2965-2976.
  • Reeves N, Sharp J, Beltran Mir H, Rainforth WM & West AR (2016) . Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 472(2185).
  • Chen Y-C, Reeves-McLaren N, Tan CC, Bingham PA, Forder SD & West AR (2016) . Dalton Transactions, 45(1), 315-323.
  • West AR, Jarkaneh R, Dong B, Hull S, Reeves-McLaren N & Biendicho J (2016) . Journal of Materials Chemistry A(4), 1408-1413.
  • Szumiata T, Gzik-Szumiata M, Brz籀zka K, G籀rka B, Gawroski M, Caruana Finkel A, Reeves-Mclaren N & Morley NA (2015) . Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 401, 943-948.
  • Morley NA, Finkel AC, Yang W & Reeves-Mclaren N (2014) . IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, 50(11).
  • Caruana Finkel A, Reeves-Mclaren N & Morley NA (2014) . Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 357, 87-92.
  • Bingham PA, Hannant OM, Reeves-Mclaren N, Stennett MC & Hand RJ (2014) . Journal of Non Crystalline Solids, 387, 47-56.
  • Kotapati S, Javed A, Reeves-Mclaren N, Gibbs MRJ & Morley NA (2013) . Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 331, 67-71.
  • Wu H, Habgood M, Parker JE, Reeves-Mclaren N, Cockcroft JK, Vickers M, West AR & Jones AG (2013) . Crystengcomm, 15(10), 1853-1859.
  • Chen Y-C, Reeves-McLaren N, Bingham PA, Forder SD & West AR (2012) . Inorg Chem, 51(15), 8073-8082.
  • Reeves-McLaren N, Smith RI & West AR (2011) . CHEM MATER, 23(15), 3556-3563.
  • Gillie LJ, de Souza SA, Sheptyakov D, ReevesMcLaren N, Pasero D & West AR (2011) . ChemInform, 42(7).
  • Reeves-McLaren N, Ferrarelli MC, Tung Y-W, Sinclair DC & West AR (2011) Synthesis, structure and electrical properties of Cu3.21Ti1.16Nb2.63O12 and the CuO x -TiO2-Nb2O5 pseudoternary phase diagram. Journal of Solid State Chemistry.
  • Gillie LJ, de Souza SA, Sheptyakov D, Reeves-McLaren N, Pasero D & West AR (2010) Synthesis, structural characterization and Li+ ion conductivity of a new vanado-molybdate phase, LiMg3VMo2O12. Journal of Solid State Chemistry.
  • Varghese J, Joseph T, Sebastian MT, Reeves-McLaren N & Feteira A (2010) . J AM CERAM SOC, 93(10), 2960-2963.
  • Wu H, Reeves-McLaren N, Pokorny J, Yarwood J & West AR (2010) . CRYST GROWTH DES, 10(7), 3141-3148.
  • Wu H, Reeves-McLaren N, Jones S, Ristic RI, Fairclough JPA & West AR (2010) . CRYST GROWTH DES, 10(2), 988-994.
  • Pasero D, Reeves N, Pralong V & West AR (2008) . J ELECTROCHEM SOC, 155(4), A282-A291.
  • Pasero D, Reeves N, Gillie LJ & West AR (2007) . JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES, 174(2), 1078-1081.
  • Pasero D, Reeves N, Gillie L, Pralong V & West AR (2007) . J ELECTROCHEM SOC, 154(8), A760-A769.
  • Reeves N, Pasero D & West AR (2007) . J SOLID STATE CHEM, 180(6), 1894-1901.
  • Pasero D, de Souza S, Reeves N & West AR (2005) Oxygen content and electrochemical activity of LiCoMnO4-delta. J MATER CHEM, 15(41), 4435-4440.
  • Pasero D, Reeves N & West AR (2005) . J POWER SOURCES, 141(1), 156-158.
  • Chia F, Zheng Y, Liu J, Reeves N, Ungar G & Wright PV (2003) . ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA, 48(14-16), 1939-1951.
  • Reeves N, Kirk CA & West AR (2001) Reversible spinel to rock salt transition in LiCoMnO delta by oxygen (de) intercalation. J MATER CHEM, 11(2), 249-250.
  • Gandy AS, Jim B, Coe G, Patel D, Hardwick L, Akhmadaliev S, Reeves-McLaren N & Goodall R () . Frontiers in Materials, 6.
  • Toolan D, Isakova A, Hodgkinson R, Reeves-McLaren N, Hammond OS, Edler KJ, Briscoe WH, Arnold T, Gough T, Topham PD & Howse JR () . Macromolecules, 49(12), 4579-4586.

Book chapters

  • Reeves-McLaren N (2022) , Inside Energy Storage Materials AIP Publishing LLCMelville, New York
  • Reeves-McLaren N (2022) , Inside Energy Storage Materials AIP Publishing LLCMelville, New York
  • Reeves-McLaren N (2022) , Inside Energy Storage Materials AIP Publishing LLCMelville, New York
  • Reeves-McLaren N (2022) , Inside Energy Storage Materials AIP Publishing LLCMelville, New York
  • Reeves-McLaren N (2022) , Inside Energy Storage Materials AIP Publishing LLCMelville, New York
  • Reeves-McLaren N (2022) , Inside Energy Storage Materials AIP Publishing LLCMelville, New York
  • Reeves-McLaren N (2022) , Inside Energy Storage Materials AIP Publishing LLCMelville, New York
  • Reeves-McLaren N (2022) , Inside Energy Storage Materials AIP Publishing LLCMelville, New York

Conference proceedings

  • Wilson G, Zilinskaite S, Unka S, Boston R & Reeves-McLaren N (2020) . Energy Reports, Vol. 6(Supplement 5) (pp 174-179). Southampton, UK, 9 July 2019 - 10 July 2019.
  • Reeves-McLaren N, Hong M, Alqurashi H, Xue L, Sharp J, Rennie AJ & Boston R (2018) . Energy Procedia, Vol. 151 (pp 158-162). Sheffield, UK, 11 September 2018 - 11 September 2018.
  • Reeves-McLaren N (2016) Application of virtual learning environments to support research and teaching in the 21st century university. 6th International Symposium on Engineering Education (pp 101-108). Manchester, 14 July 2016 - 15 July 2016.
  • Kinoshita H, Brewer M, Talbot-Eeckelaers CE, Reeves N, Copping R, Sharrad CA & May I (2008) High temperature behaviour of polyoxometalates containing lanthanides. SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT XXXI, Vol. 1107 (pp 347-353)

Reports

  • Wu H, Habgood M, Parker JE, Reeves-McLaren N, Cockcroft JK, Vickers M, West AR & Jones AG (2013) Crystal structure determination of a complex pharmaceutical compound using synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction
Teaching activities
  • MAT6665 - Materials Processing and Characterisation
  • MAT61021 - Energy Generation and Storage
  • MAT3210 - Electroceramics
  • MAT655 - Transferable Skills for Engineers and Scientists
Professional activities and memberships
  • Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry
  • Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Authority