Dr Bernard Mostert

Postdoctoral Research Fellow Photovoltaics

Physics

a.b.mostert@swansea.ac.uk

Available For Postgraduate Supervision

Research Links

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9590-2124

ResearcherID

About

I am the recipient of a COFUND Fellowship under the Marie-Curie Fellowship scheme, which is funded by the Welsh Government and European Union under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). My research spans two departments (Physics and Chemistry), and two research institutes including the Centre of NanoHealth and the Sêr SAM program (in which I am majority involved). My research interests lie primarily in the field of Bioelectronics and bio-ionics, which involves the creation of new materials, understanding and characterization of these materials and then application testing in functional devices. The work at Swansea focuses primarily on developing organic ion/electronic coupled devices that are capable of sensing ionic signals and transducing them to electronic signals for interfacing with conventional semiconductor electronics. The aim is to create prototype devices for medical diagnostics.

Areas Of Expertise

Bioelectronics
Electron Paramagnetic Resonance
Muon Spin Resonance
Neutron Scattering
Charge Transport Measurements
In-Situ Hydration Control
Disordered Biomaterials
Ion-Electron Coupled Charge Transport

Career Highlights

Teaching Interests

Physical Chemistry - Thermodynamics

Publications

Research Highlights

Motovilov, K. & Mostert, B. (2024). Melanin: Nature's 4th bioorganic polymer. Soft Matter, 20(29), 5635-5651.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm00491d, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67144
Ambrico, M., Mostert, B., Ambrico, P., Phua, J., Mattiello, S., & Gunnella, R. (2024). Exploring ion mobility mechanisms in poly indolequinone polymers: a case study on black soldier fly melanin. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 57(26), 265303
https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/ad3765, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67143
Paulin, J., Graeff, C., & Mostert, B. (2024). Decoding eumelanin's spin label signature: a comprehensive EPR analysis. Materials Advances, 5(4), 1395-1419.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ma01029e, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67142
Abramov, P., Ivankov, O., Mostert, B., & Motovilov, K. (2023). Signatures of pancake bonding in hydrated eumelanin. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 25(24), 16212-16216.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d3cp01773g, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64653
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d3cp01773g
Abramov, P., Zhukov, S., Savinov, M., Mostert, B., & Motovilov, K. (n.d.) The influence of copper ions on the transport and relaxation properties of hydrated eumelanin. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 25(16), 11601-11612.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d3cp00975k, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64652
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d3cp00975k

All Research

Journal Articles

Mostert, B., Mattiello, S., Li, S., Perna, G., Lasalvia, M., Ambrico, P., Paulin, J., Lima, J., Graeff, C., Phua, J., Matta, M., Surman, A., Gunnella, R., & Ambrico, M. (2024). Exploring the chemistry and composition of black soldier fly eumelanin, a material for a circular economy. Materials Advances
https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ma00825a, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68077
Motovilov, K. & Mostert, B. (2024). Melanin: Nature's 4th bioorganic polymer. Soft Matter, 20(29), 5635-5651.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm00491d, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67144
Ambrico, M., Mostert, B., Ambrico, P., Phua, J., Mattiello, S., & Gunnella, R. (2024). Exploring ion mobility mechanisms in poly indolequinone polymers: a case study on black soldier fly melanin. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 57(26), 265303
https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/ad3765, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67143
Paulin, J., Graeff, C., & Mostert, B. (2024). Decoding eumelanin's spin label signature: a comprehensive EPR analysis. Materials Advances, 5(4), 1395-1419.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ma01029e, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67142
Abramov, P., Ivankov, O., Mostert, B., & Motovilov, K. (2023). Signatures of pancake bonding in hydrated eumelanin. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 25(24), 16212-16216.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d3cp01773g, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64653
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d3cp01773g
Cavaye, H., Welbourn, R., Gluschke, J., Hughes, P., Nguyen, K., Micolich, A., Meredith, P., & Mostert, B. (2022). Systematic in situ hydration neutron reflectometry study on Nafion thin films. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 24(46), 28554-28563.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d2cp03067e, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa62079
Walters, F., Burwell, G., MITCHELL, J., Ali, M., Daghigh Ahmadi, E., Mostert, B., Jenkins, C., Rozhko, S., Kazakova, O., & Guy, O. (2022). A Rapid Graphene Sensor Platform for the Detection of Viral Proteins in Low Volume Samples. Advanced NanoBiomed Research, 2(6)
https://doi.org/10.1002/anbr.202100140, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64651
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anbr.202100140
Mostert, B. (2022). The importance of water content on the conductivity of biomaterials and bioelectronic devices. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 10(37), 7108-7121.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d2tb00593j, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60397
Bedran, Z., Zhukov, S., Abramov, P., Tyurenkov, I., Gorshunov, B., Mostert, B., & Motovilov, K. (2021). Water-Activated Semiquinone Formation and Carboxylic Acid Dissociation in Melanin Revealed by Infrared Spectroscopy. Polymers, 13(24), 4403
https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13244403, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa59165
Martinez-Gonzalez, J., Cavaye, H., McGettrick, J., Meredith, P., Motovilov, K., & Mostert, B. (2021). Interfacial water morphology in hydrated melanin. Soft Matter, 17(34), 7940-7952.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d1sm00777g, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58097
Paulin, J., Coleone, A., Batagin-Neto, A., Burwell, G., Meredith, P., Graeff, C., & Mostert, B. (2021). Melanin thin-films: a perspective on optical and electrical properties. Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 9(26), 8345-8358.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d1tc01440d, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64649
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d1tc01440d
Mostert, B. (2021). On the free radical redox chemistry of 5,6-dihydroxyindole. Chemical Physics, 546, 111158
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemphys.2021.111158, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa62074
Paulin, J., McGettrick, J., Graeff, C., & Mostert, B. (2021). Melanin system composition analyzed by XPS depth profiling. Surfaces and Interfaces, 24, 101053
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfin.2021.101053, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa56371
Mostert, B. (2021). Melanin, the What, the Why and the How: An Introductory Review for Materials Scientists Interested in Flexible and Versatile Polymers. Polymers, 13(10), 1670
https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13101670, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64648
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym13101670
Paulin, J., Batagin-Neto, A., Meredith, P., Graeff, C., & Mostert, B. (2020). Shedding Light on the Free Radical Nature of Sulfonated Melanins. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 124(46), 10365-10373.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c08097, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa55629
Gluschke, J., Seidl, J., Lyttleton, R., Nguyen, K., Lagier, M., Meyer, F., Krogstrup, P., Nygård, J., Lehmann, S., Mostert, B., Meredith, P., & Micolich, A. (2020). Integrated bioelectronic proton-gated logic elements utilizing nanoscale patterned Nafion. Materials Horizons, 8(1), 224-233.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d0mh01070g, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64650
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d0mh01070g
Mostert, B., Rienecker, S., Sheliakina, M., Zierep, P., Hanson, G., Harmer, J., Schenk, G., & Meredith, P. (2020). Engineering proton conductivity in melanin using metal doping. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 8(35), 8050-8060.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d0tb01390k, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa54979
Tehrani, Z., Whelan, S., Mostert, B., Paulin, J., Ali, M., Daghigh Ahmadi, E., Graeff, C., Guy, O., & Gethin, D. (2020). Printable and flexible graphene pH sensors utilising thin film melanin for physiological applications. 2D Materials, 7(2), 024008
https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1583/ab72d5, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa53387
Motovilov, K., Grinenko, V., Savinov, M., Gagkaeva, Z., Kadyrov, L., Pronin, A., Bedran, Z., Zhukova, E., Mostert, A., Gorshunov, B., & Mostert, B. (2019). Redox chemistry in the pigment eumelanin as a function of temperature using broadband dielectric spectroscopy. RSC Advances, 9(7), 3857-3867.
https://doi.org/10.1039/c8ra09093a, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa48389
Creasy, R., Mostert, B., Solemanifar, A., Nguyen, T., Virdis, B., Freguia, S., & Laycock, B. (2019). Biomimetic Peptide Nanowires Designed for Conductivity. ACS Omega, 4(1), 1748-1756.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.8b02231, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa48387
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.8b02231
Sheliakina, M., Mostert, B., & Meredith, P. (2018). Decoupling Ionic and Electronic Currents in Melanin. Advanced Functional Materials, 28(46), 1805514
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201805514, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa44756
Mostert, B., Rienecker, S., Noble, C., Hanson, G., & Meredith, P. (2018). The photoreactive free radical in eumelanin. Science Advances, 4(3), eaaq1293
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaq1293, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa39310
Creasey, R., Mostert, B., Nguyen, T., Virdis, B., Freguia, S., & Laycock, B. (2018). Microbial nanowires – Electron transport and the role of synthetic analogues. Acta Biomaterialia, 69, 1-30.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2018.01.007, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa39239
Sheliakina, M., Mostert, B., & Meredith, P. (2018). An all-solid-state biocompatible ion-to-electron transducer for bioelectronics. Materials Horizons, 5(2), 256-263.
https://doi.org/10.1039/c7mh00831g, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38489
Clulow, A., Mostert, A., Sheliakina, M., Nelson, A., Booth, N., Burn, P., Gentle, I., Meredith, P., & Mostert, B. (2017). The structural impact of water sorption on device-quality melanin thin films. Soft Matter, 13(21), 3954-3965.
https://doi.org/10.1039/c6sm02420c, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa33930
Robinson, B., Bailey, S., O’Driscoll, L., Visontai, D., Welsh, D., Mostert, A., Mazzocco, R., Rabot, C., Jarvis, S., Kolosov, O., Bryce, M., Lambert, C., & Mostert, B. (2017). Formation of Two-Dimensional Micelles on Graphene: Multi-Scale Theoretical and Experimental Study. ACS Nano, 11(3), 3404-3412.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.7b01071, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38477
Carrad, D., Mostert, B., Ullah, A., Burke, A., Joyce, H., Tan, H., Jagadish, C., Krogstrup, P., Nygård, J., Meredith, P., & Micolich, A. (2017). Hybrid Nanowire Ion-to-Electron Transducers for Integrated Bioelectronic Circuitry. Nano Letters, 17(2), 827-833.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b04075, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa32365
Rienecker, S., Mostert, A., Schenk, G., Hanson, G., Meredith, P., & Mostert, B. (2015). Heavy Water as a Probe of the Free Radical Nature and Electrical Conductivity of Melanin. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 119(48), 14994-15000.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b08970, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38482
Mostert, A., Hanson, G., Sarna, T., Gentle, I., Powell, B., Meredith, P., & Mostert, B. (2013). Hydration-Controlled X-Band EPR Spectroscopy: A Tool for Unravelling the Complexities of the Solid-State Free Radical in Eumelanin. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 117(17), 4965-4972.
https://doi.org/10.1021/jp401615e, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38483
Meredith, P., Bettinger, C., Irimia-Vladu, M., Mostert, A., Schwenn, P., Meredith, P., & Mostert, B. (2013). Electronic and optoelectronic materials and devices inspired by nature. Reports on Progress in Physics, 76(3), 034501
https://doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/76/3/034501, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38484
Bernardus Mostert, A., Powell, B., Gentle, I., Meredith, P., & Mostert, B. (2012). On the origin of electrical conductivity in the bio-electronic material melanin. Applied Physics Letters, 100(9), 093701
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3688491, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38487
Mostert, A., Powell, B., Pratt, F., Hanson, G., Sarna, T., Gentle, I., Meredith, P., Meredith, P., & Mostert, B. (2012). Role of semiconductivity and ion transport in the electrical conduction of melanin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(23), 8943-8947.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1119948109, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38486
Mostert, A., Davy, K., Ruggles, J., Powell, B., Gentle, I., Meredith, P., & Mostert, B. (2010). Gaseous Adsorption in Melanins: Hydrophilic Biomacromolecules with High Electrical Conductivities. Langmuir, 26(1), 412-416.
https://doi.org/10.1021/la901290f, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38488
Abramov, P., Zhukov, S., Savinov, M., Mostert, B., & Motovilov, K. (n.d.) The influence of copper ions on the transport and relaxation properties of hydrated eumelanin. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 25(16), 11601-11612.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d3cp00975k, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64652
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d3cp00975k
Nguyen, K., Gluschke, J., Mostert, B., Nelson, A., Burwell, G., Lyttleton, R., Cavaye, H., Welbourn, R., Seidl, J., Lagier, M., Miranda, M., McGettrick, J., Watson, T., Meredith, P., & Micolich, A. (n.d.) The Effect of Direct Electron Beam Patterning on the Water Uptake and Ionic Conductivity of Nafion Thin Films. Advanced Electronic Materials, 9(8)
https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.202300199, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa63731
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aelm.202300199

Book Chapters

Mostert, B., Meredith, P., Powell, B., Gentle, I., Hanson, G., & Pratt, F. (2016). Understanding Melanin: A Nano-Based Material for the future. Nanomaterials Pan Stanford
https://doi.org/10.1201/b20041-6, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38478
Meredith, P., Tandy, K., Mostert, A., & Mostert, B. (2013). A Hybrid Ionic-Electronic Conductor: Melanin, the First Organic Amorphous Semiconductor?. Organic Electronics Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA
https://doi.org/10.1002/9783527650965.ch04, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38485

Conference Contributions

Motovilov, K., Gorshunov, B., Grinenko, V., Savino, M., Gagkaeva, Z., Kadyrov, L., Pronin, A., Bedran, Z., Zhukova, E., & Mostert, B. (2019). Redox chemistry in eumelanin. In 2019 44th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz)IEEE.
https://doi.org/10.1109/irmmw-thz.2019.8874551, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa52888
Meredith, P., Mostert, B., Sheliakina, M., Carrad, D., & Micolich, A. (2016). Towards bioelectronic logic (Conference Presentation). In Organic Sensors and Bioelectronics IX (pp. 99440DSPIE.
https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2239393, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38495
Carrad, D., Mostert, B., Meredith, P., & Micolich, A. (2016). Hybrid nanowire ion-to-electron transducers for integrated bioelectronic circuitry (Conference Presentation). In Organic Sensors and Bioelectronics IX (pp. 994408SPIE.
https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2238701, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38496