Dr Stephen Ebbens

School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering

Senior Lecturer

Second year director

Dr Stephen Ebbens
Profile picture of Dr Stephen Ebbens
s.ebbens@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 7589

Full contact details

Dr Stephen Ebbens
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Room F62a
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street
91Ö±²¥
S1 3JD
Profile

My career at the University of 91Ö±²¥ started as a PDRA in the Dept. Physics in 2008 working for Prof. Richard Jones on catalytically active colloids. I moved to Dept. CBE in 2009, continuing work on active colloids. I became an independent academic in 2011, establishing my own research group via the support of two EPSRC fellowships, and a University of 91Ö±²¥ Early Career Researchers award. I was appointed Senior Lecturer in 2017. Prior to joining the University of 91Ö±²¥ I worked as a PRDA at the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, developing ink jet printing for electronics manufacturing. This followed 5 years working as a senior scientist for a Nottingham based SME conducting contract research projects in the Pharmaceutical sector. My PhD was awarded from the University of Durham in 2000, in Prof. Jas Pal Badyal's; research group, sponsored by 3M, and involved characterisation of surface additive enriched polymeric films and fibres.

Research interests

My overarching research interest is in experimental materials science. I principally focus on active matter research, investigating devices and colloids capable of producing enhanced motion in microfluidic devices. My research in this area is multi-faceted, ranging from uncovering fundamental mechanisms, exploring self-assembly, and developing Healthcare and Environmental monitoring and remediation applications. A second thread to my research is manufacturing high value thin film coatings, focussed on using metrology to gain insights to optimise coating performance.This manufacturing research focuses on structured high value materials with applications in Energy storage and generation. 

Key research interests:

  • Materials Science
  • Active Matter
  • Polymers
  • Thin film coatings
  • Colloids
  • Materials characterisation methods
Publications

Journal articles

  • Archer RJ, Ebbens SJ, Kubodera Y, Matsuo M & Nomura S-IM (2025) . Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 678, 11-19. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Marchi PM, Marrone L, Brasseur L, Coens A, Webster CP, Bousset L, Destro M, Smith EF, Walther CG, Alfred V , Marroccella R et al (2022) . Life Sci Alliance, 5(9). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Kumar P, Zhang Y, Ebbens SJ & Zhao X (2022) . Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 623, 96-108. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Kumar P, Legge A, Gregory DA, Nichols A, Jensen H, Ebbens SJ & Zhao X (2022) . JCIS Open, 5. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Kirvin A, Gregory D, Parnell A, Campbell AI & Ebbens S (2021) . Materials Advances. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Kumar P, Ebbens S & Zhao X (2021) . Bioprinting, e00157-e00157. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Archer RA, Howse JR, Fujii S, Kawashima H, Buxton GA & Ebbens SJ (2020) . Advanced Functional Materials. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Campbell AI, Ebbens SJ, Illien P & Golestanian R (2019) . Nature Communications, 10(1). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Gregory DA, Kumar P, Jimenez-Franco A, Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Ebbens SJ & Zhao X (2019) . Journal of Visualized Experiments(146). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Zhang Y, Gregory DA, Zhang Y, Smith PJ, Ebbens SJ & Zhao X (2019) . Small, 15(1), 1804213-1804213. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens SJ & Gregory DA (2018) . Accounts of Chemical Research, 51(9), 1931-1939. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Gregory DA & Ebbens SJ (2018) . Langmuir, 34(14), 4307-4313. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Archer RJ, Parnell AJ, Campbell AI, Howse JR & Ebbens SJ (2018) . Advanced Science, 5(2). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Campbell AI, Wittkowski R, ten Hagen B, Löwen H & Ebbens SJ (2017) . The Journal of Chemical Physics, 147(8). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Nourhani A, Ebbens SJ, Gibbs JG & Lammert PE (2016) . Physical Review E - Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Campbell A, Archer R & Ebbens S (2016) . Journal of Visualized Experiments(113). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Gregory DA, Zhang Y, Smith PJ, Zhao X & Ebbens SJ (2016) . Small, 12(30), 4048-4055. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens SJ (2016) . Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science, 21, 14-23. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Das S, Garg A, Campbell AI, Howse J, Sen A, Velegol D, Golestanian R & Ebbens SJ (2015) . Nature Communications, 6. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Dunderdale G & Ebbens S (2015) . Current Physical Chemistry, 5(1), 91-106. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Archer RJ, Campbell AI & Ebbens SJ (2015) . Soft Matter, 11(34), 6872-6880. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Gregory DA, Campbell AI & Ebbens SJ (2015) . The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 119(27), 15339-15348. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Taylor W, Ebbens S, Skoda MWA, Webster JRP & Jones RAL (2015) . The European Physical Journal E, 38, 14-14. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Toolan DTW, Fujii S, Ebbens SJ, Nakamura Y & Howse JR (2014) . Soft Matter, 10(44), 8804-8812. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Haq EU, Toolan DTW, Emerson JA, Epps TH, Howse JR, Dunbar ADF & Ebbens SJ (2014) . Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, n/a-n/a. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Campbell AI & Ebbens SJ (2013) . Langmuir, 29(46), 14066-14073. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Toolan DTW, Haq EU, Dunbar A, Ebbens S, Clarke N, Topham PD & Howse JR (2013) . Journal of Polymer Science, Part B: Polymer Physics, 51(11), 875-881. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Dunderdale G, Ebbens S, Fairclough P & Howse J (2012) . Langmuir, 28(30), 10997-11006. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens S, Tu M-H, Howse JR & Golestanian R (2012) . PHYSICAL REVIEW E, 85(2). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens S, Tu MH, Howse JR & Golestanian R (2012) Size dependence of the propulsion velocity for catalytic Janus-sphere swimmers.. Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys, 85(2-1), 020401. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Qi S, Litchfield R, Hutt DA, Vaidhyanathan B, Liu C, Webb P & Ebbens S (2012) . Proceedings - Electronic Components and Technology Conference, 1651-1655. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens S (2012) . Materials Today, 15(7-8), 294. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens SJ, Buxton GA, Alexeev A, Sadeghi A & Howse JR (2012) . SOFT MATTER, 8(11), 3077-3082. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens S (2012) . MATERIALS TODAY, 15(7-8), 294-294. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens SJ & Howse JR (2011) . Langmuir, 27(20), 12293-12296. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens S, Hodgkinson R, Parnell AJ, Dunbar A, Martin SJ, Topham PD, Clarke N & Howse JR (2011) . ACS Nano, 5(6), 5124-5131. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens S, Sadeghi A, Howse J, Golestanian R & Jones R (2011) . Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, 1346, 49-52. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Sadeghi A, Howse J, Ebbens S & De Geest B (2011) . Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, 1357, 18-25. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens S, Jones RAL, Ryan AJ, Golestanian R & Howse JR (2010) . PHYS REV E, 82(1). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens SJ & Howse JR (2010) Self-assembled phoretic swimmers. 7th Annual Conference on Foundations of Nanoscience: Self-Assembled Architectures and Devices, FNANO 2010, 108-109. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens S, Hutt D & Liu C (2010) . IEEE Transactions on Components and Packaging Technologies, 33(2), 251-259. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Thompson KL, Armes SP, Howse JR, Ebbens S, Ahmad I, Zaidi JH, York DW & Burdis JA (2010) . Macromolecules, 43(24), 10466-10474. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens SJ & Howse JR (2010) . SOFT MATTER, 6(4), 726-738. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Perkins M, Ebbens SJ, Hayes S, Roberts CJ, Madden CE, Luk SY & Patel N (2007) . Int J Pharm, 332(1-2), 168-175. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens S, Hutt DA, Liu C & Williams O (2007) . Proceedings - Electronic Components and Technology Conference, 1362-1367. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens S, Hutt DA & Liu C (2006) . Proceedings - Electronic Components and Technology Conference, 2006, 1847-1852. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens S, Hutt DA & Liu C (2006) . Proceedings of the Electronic Packaging Technology Conference, EPTC, 46-52. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Zhang J, Ebbens S, Chen X, Jin Z, Luk S, Madden C, Patel N & Roberts CJ (2006) . Pharmaceutical Research, 23(2), 401-407. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ward S, Perkins M, Zhang J, Roberts CJ, Madden CE, Luk SY, Patel N & Ebbens SJ (2005) Novel methods to probe surface amorphous states. J PHARM PHARMACOL, 57, S98-S98. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Le Roux D, Roberts CJ, Madden CE, Luk SY, Patel N & Ebbens SJ (2005) Raman microscopy investigation of the phase structure and interactions in hydoxypropyl methyl cellulose and ethyl cellulose blends. J PHARM PHARMACOL, 57, S9-S10. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Perkins M, Zhang J, Roberts CJ, Madden CE, Luk SY, Patel N & Ebbens SJ (2005) Single particle surface energy and hardness screening using Atomic Force Microscopy. J PHARM PHARMACOL, 57, S59-S59. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ward SD, Perkins M, Ebbens SJ, Roberts CJ, Luk SY, Patel N & Madden CE (2005) Drug product analysis through multidisciplinary solid state characterisation. J PHARM PHARMACOL, 57, S90-S90. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Perkins M, Zhang J, Roberts CJ, Madden CE, Luk SY, Patel N & Ebbens SJ (2005) Single particle surface energy and hardness screening using Atomic Force Microscopy. J PHARM PHARMACOL, 57, S3-S3. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ward S, Perkins M, Zhang J, Roberts CJ, Madden CE, Luk SY, Patel N & Ebbens SJ (2005) . Pharm Res, 22(7), 1195-1202. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Abdelhady HG, Allen S, Ebbens SJ, Madden C, Patel N, Roberts CJ & Zhang JX (2005) . NANOTECHNOLOGY, 16(6), 966-973. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Zhang J, Madden C, Hossainy S, Tang FW, Borgaonkar H, Ebbens S, Luk SY, Patel N & Roberts CJ (2004) Challenges in the development of drug eluting stents: swelling behaviour characterisation. J PHARM PHARMACOL, 56, S6-S7. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Collins JA, Madden CE, Ebbens SJ, Luk SY, Roberts CJ & Patel N (2004) Screening of inhalation formulations: quantification of individual particulate interactions. J PHARM PHARMACOL, 56, S6-S6. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woodward I, Ebbens S, Zhang J, Luk S, Patel N & Roberts CJ (2004) . Packaging Technology and Science, 17(3), 129-138. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Spanos CG, Ebbens SJ, Badyal JPS, Goodwin AJ & Merlin PJ (2003) . MACROMOLECULES, 36(2), 368-372. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Eve JK, Patel N, Luk SY, Ebbens SJ & Roberts CJ (2002) . Int J Pharm, 238(1-2), 17-27. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Spanos CG, Ebbens SJ, Badyal JPS, Goodwin AJ & Merlin PJ (2001) Surface segregation and plasma oxidation of poly(dimethylsiloxane)-doped polyolefins. MACROMOLECULES, 34(23), 8149-8155. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens SJ & Badyal JPS (2001) . LANGMUIR, 17(13), 4050-4055. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Archer RJ & Ebbens SJ () . Advanced Science. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Prihatin IA () . Empati : Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling, 9(1), 109-119. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Gregory DA, Kumar P, Jimenez-Franco A, Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Ebbens SJ & Zhao X () . Journal of Visualized Experiments(146). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Kawashima H, Shioi A, Archer RJ, Ebbens SJ, Nakamura Y & Fujii S () . RSC Advances, 9(15), 8333-8339. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Gregory DA, Zhang Y, Smith PJ, Ebbens SJ & Zhao X () . NIP & Digital Fabrication Conference, 32(1), 452-456. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Jamaludin NA, Basatvat S, Aboussahoud W, Elliott S, Hunt S, Peacock B, Ebbens S & Fazeli A () . Reproduction Abstracts. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Campbell A, Archer R & Ebbens S () . Journal of Visualized Experiments(113). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens S, Gregory DA, Dunderdale G, Howse JR, Ibrahim Y, Liverpool TB & Golestanian R () . RIS download Bibtex download
  • Pineda De La O E, Alhazmi N, Ebbens SJ & Dunbar ADF () . ACS Applied Energy Materials. RIS download Bibtex download

Chapters

  • Gregory DA, Zhang Y, Ebbens SJ & Zhao X (2017) , Reactive Inkjet Printing (pp. 169-201). Royal Society of Chemistry RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens S, Howse J, Archer R, Gregory D, Campbell A & Dunderdale G (2017) , Soft, Hard, and Hybrid Janus Structures (pp. 315-403). WORLD SCIENTIFIC (EUROPE) RIS download Bibtex download

Conference proceedings papers

  • Gregory DA, Zhang Y, Smith PJ, Ebbens SJ & Zhao X (2016) Altering the Bubble Release of Reactive Inkjet Printed Silk Micro-rockets. International Conference on Digital Printing Technologies, Vol. 2016 (pp 452-456), 12 September 2016 - 12 September 2016. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Das S, Garg A, Campbell A, Velegol D, Sen A, Golestanian R & Ebbens S (2015) Sustained quenching of rotational diffusional motion of catalytic Janus colloids. ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, Vol. 250 RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens SJ, Hutt DA & Liu CQ (2007) Patterning copper using ink jet printing of Self Assembled Monolayers. 2007 9TH ELECTRONICS PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE, VOLS 1 AND 2 (pp 114-119) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens SJ, Hutt DA & Liu CQ (2006) Thermal stability of self-assembled monolayer copper preservatives for fluxless soldering. ESTC 2006: 1st Electronics Systemintegration Technology Conference, Vols 1 and 2, Proceedings (pp 1360-1366) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Tang Z, Rossiter J & Panoutsos G () Disturbance observer-based optimal tracking control for slot coating process with mismatched input disturbances. CONTROL 2024: 14th United Kingdom Automatic Control Council (UKACC) International Conference on Control. Winchester, UK, 10 April 2024 - 10 April 2024. RIS download Bibtex download

Preprints

  • Archer R, Kubodera Y, Ebbens S, Matsuo M & Nomura S-IM (2024) , American Chemical Society (ACS). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Campbell AI, Ebbens SJ, Illien P & Golestanian R (2018) Experimental Observation of Flow Fields Around Active Janus Spheres, arXiv. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Campbell AI, Wittkowski R, Hagen BT, Löwen H & Ebbens SJ (2017) Helical paths, gravitaxis, and separation phenomena for mass-anisotropic self-propelling colloids: experiment versus theory, arXiv. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Nourhani A, Ebbens SJ, Gibbs JG & Lammert PE (2016) Spiral diffusion of rotating self-propellers with stochastic perturbation, arXiv. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ebbens S, Gregory DA, Dunderdale G, Howse JR, Ibrahim Y, Liverpool TB & Golestanian R (2013) Electrokinetic Effects in Catalytic Pt-Insulator Janus Swimmers, arXiv. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Marchi PM, Marrone L, Brasseur L, Bousset L, Webster CP, Destro M, Smith EF, Walther CG, Alfred V, Marroccella R , Robinson D et al () , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. RIS download Bibtex download
Teaching interests

I am module leader on CPE170 Fluids and Particle Mechanics, Level 2 director, and supervise on our MEng and MSc research projects.