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Prof Arotiba 2021

Professor and Director: Centre for Nanomaterials and Science Research
Name: Omotayo A Arotiba
Location: Office 4203 John Orr Building Doornfontein Campus
  Staff Members

Contact Details:
Tel: +27 (0) 11 559 6200

Email: oarotiba@uj.ac.za

About Prof Omotayo A Arotiba

Specialisation area
Physical Chemistry; Electrochemistry, Photo-electrochemistry, Electroanalytical Chemistry, Environmental Electrochemistry, Electrochemical Technologies for Water Treatment, Physical Chemistry, Nanoscience, Materials Chemistry

 

PRIMARY EXPERTISE
Electrochemistry, Physical Chemistry and Material ScienceSECONDARY EXPERTISE
Electrochemical Sensors/Biosensors, Photoelectrochemistry and Materials ElectrochemistryNRF RATING
C1 (Established Researcher)

PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES, AFFILIATION AND BOARD MEMBERSHIP

  • Chairman, ElectrochemSA (The Electrochemistry Division of the South African Chemical Institute)
  • Board Member, South Africa Chemical Institute (SACI)
  • Member, International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE)
  • Fellow, Chemical Society of Nigeria
  • Affiliate member, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
​TEACHING
I teach physical chemistry across all the levels in the department
RESEARCH INTERESTS
I am an electrochemist (Physical Chemistry) by training and my core research interest is the use of electrochemistry as a tool to solving problems/challenges in material, biomedical and environmental spheres.These include (but not limited to):

  • electrochemical biosensors and sensors based on dendrimer nanocomposites
  • photoelectrochemical reactors for water treatment
  • electro-synthesis and characterisation of novel materials/compounds in chemical research
  • nano-electrochemistry – synthesis and application of nanomaterial-based electrodes


I am currently involved in:

  • i) Electrochemical advanced oxidation processes for the removal of recalcitrant pollutants from water and wastewater;
  • ii) membrane electrochemistry for water treatment;
  • iii) electrochemical (bio)sensors for selected organic and inorganic water pollutants, cancer biomarkers and biomedical substances. I lead the Electrochemistry Research Group at the Department of Chemical Sciences.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  1. Koiki, B.A.; Orimolade, B.O.; Zwane, B.N.; Nkwachukwu, O.V.; Muzenda, C.; Nkosi, D.; Arotiba, O.A.* The application of FTO-Cu2O/Ag3PO4 heterojunction in the photoelectrochemical degradation of emerging pharmaceutical pollutant under visible light irradiation. Chemosphere2021, 266, 129231.
  2. Mazzaracchio, V.; Tshwenya, T.; Moscone, D.; Arduini, F.; Arotiba, O.A.* A poly(propylene imine) dendrimer and carbon black modifiedflexible screen printed electrochemical sensor for lead and cadmium co-detection. Electroanalysis2020, 32, 3009-3016.
  3. Orimolade, B.O.; Arotiba, O.A*.; Bismuth vanadate in photoelectrocatalytic water treatment systems for the degradation of organics: A review on recent trends. Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, 2020, 878, 114724
  4. Zwane, B.N.; Mabuba, N.; Orimolade, B.O.; Koiki, B.A.; Arotiba, O.A.* Photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole on a carbon nanodot doped tungsten trioxide: Degradation product study. Reaction Kinetics, Mechanisms and Catalysis, 2020, 131, 453–470.
  5. Tshwenya, L, Putra, B.R.; Orimolade, B.O.; Marken, F.; Arotiba, O.A*.  Surface modified carbon nanomats provide cationic and anionic rectifier membranes in aqueous electrolyte media. Electrochimica Acta, 2020, 354, 136750.
  6. Wang, W.; Lu, X.; Su, P.; Li, Y.; Cai, J.; Zhang, Q.; Zhou, M.; Arotiba, O. Enhancement of hydrogen peroxide production by electrochemical reduction of oxygen on carbon nanotubes modified with fluorine. Chemosphere, 2020, 259, 127423.
  7. Arotiba, O.A*.; Orimolade, B.O.; Koiki, B.A. Visible Light Driven Photoelectrocatalytic Semiconductor Heterojunction Anodes for Water Treatment Applications. Current Opinion in Electrochemistry2020, 22, 25-34.
  8. Putra, B.R.; Madrid, E.; Tshwenya, L.; Arotiba, O. A.; Marken, F. An AC-driven desalination/salination system based on a Nafion cationic rectifier. Desalination2020, 480, 114351.
  9. Koiki, B.A.; Orimolade, B.O.; Zwane, B.N.; Nkosi, D.; Mabuba, N.; Arotiba, O.A*. Cu2O on anodised TiO2 nanotube arrays: A heterojunction photoanode for visible light assisted electrochemical degradation of pharmaceuticals in water. Electrochimica Acta2020, 340, 135944.
  10. Orimolade, B.O.; Arotiba, O.A*. Towards visible light driven photoelectrocatalysis for water treatment: Application of a FTO/BiVO4/Ag2S heterojunction anode for the removal of emerging pharmaceutical pollutants. Scientific Reports. 2020, 10, 5348.
  11. Fakude, C.T.; Arotiba, O.A.*; Mabuba, N*. Electrochemical aptasensing of cadmium (II) on a carbon black- gold nano-platform. Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry2020, 858, 113796.
  12. Orimolade, B.O.; Zwane, B.N.; Koiki, B.A.; Tshwenya, L.; Peleyeju, G.M.; Mabuba, N.;   Zhou, M.; Arotiba, O.A*, Solar photoelectrocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin at a FTO/BiVO4/MnO2 anode: kinetics, intermediate products and degradation pathway studies. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering2020, 8, 103607.
  13. Tshwenya, L; Marken, F.; Mathwig, K; Arotiba, O.A. Switching Anionic and Cationic Semi-Permeability in Partially Hydrolyzed Polyacrylonitrile: A pH-Tunable Ionic Rectifier. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces2020, 12, 3214-3224.
  14. Karimi-Maleh, H.*; Arotiba, O.A.* Simultaneous determination of cholesterol, ascorbic acid and uric acid as three essential biological compounds at a carbon paste electrode modified with copper oxide decorated reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite and ionic liquid. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science2020, 560, 208-212.
  15. Talifhani Mushiana, T.; Mabuba, N.; Idris, O.A. Peleyeju, G.M.; Orimolade, B.O.; Nkosi, D.  Ajayi, R.F. Arotiba, O.A*. An aptasensor for arsenic on a carbon-gold bi-nanoparticle platform. Sensing and Bio-sensing Research. 201924, 100280.
  16. Orimolade, B.O.; Koiki, B.; Peleyeju, G.M.; Arotiba, O.A*. Visible light driven photoelectrocatalysis on a FTO/BiVO4/BiOI anode for water treatment involving emerging pharmaceutical pollutants. Electrochimica Acta 2019, 307, 285-292.
  17. Peleyeju, M.G.; Arotiba, O.A.* Recent trend in visible-light photoelectrocatalytic systems for degradation or organic pollutants in water/waterwater. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 2018. 4, 1389–1411
  18. Idris, A.O.; Mabuba, N.; Arotiba, O.A.* Towards cancer diagnostics – an α-feto protein electrochemical immunosensor on a manganese (IV) oxide/gold bi-nanocomposite immobilisation layer. RSC Advances, 2018, 8, 30683 – 30691
  19. Soda, N., Arotiba, O.A.* A Supramolecular PAMAM dendrimer-streptavidin platform for biosensor development. Bioelectrochemistry, 2017, 118, 14-18
  20. Umukoro, E. H.; Peleyeju, G.; Ngila, J. C.; Arotiba, O. A.* Towards wastewater treatment: Photo-assisted electrochemical degradation of 2-nitrophenol and orange II dye at a tungsten trioxide-exfoliated graphite composite. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2017, 317, 290-301.
  21. Sourbh, T.; Pandey, S. Arotiba, OA.* Development of a sodium alginate-based organic/inorganic superabsorbent composite hydrogel for adsorption of methylene blue. Carbohydrate Polymers2016, 153, 34–46
  22. Mafa, J.P.; Idris, AO; Mabuba, N.; Arotiba, O.A.*. Electrochemical co-detection of As(III), Hg(II) and Pb(II) on a bismuth modified exfoliated graphite electrode. Talanta2016, 153, 99-106
  23. Idris, O.A.; Mafa, J.P.; Mabuba, N.; Arotiba, O.A*. Dealing with interference challenge in the electrochemical detection of As(III) – a complexometric masking approach. Electrochemistry Communications, 2016, 64, 18-20
  24. Ndlovu, T.; Sampath, S.; Krause, R.W.; Mamba, B.B.; Arotiba, O.A*. Voltammetric detection of arsenic on a bismuth modified exfoliated graphite electrode. Electrochimica Acta2014, 128, 48-53
  25. Malinga, S.P.; Arotiba O.A.; Krause, R.W.; Mapolie, S.F.; Mamba, B.B. Nanostructured β-cyclodextrin-hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (β-CD-HPEI) embedded on polysulfone membrane for the removal of humic acid from water.  Separation Science and Technology, 2013, 48, 2724-2734
  26. Arotiba, O.A; Owino, J.H.O.; Baker, P.G.L.; Iwuoha, E.I. Electrochemical impedimetry of electro-deposited poly(propylene imine) monolayer. Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry 2010, 638, 287-292
  27. Arotiba, O.A.; Owino, J.H.O.; Songa, E.A.; Hendricks, N.; Waryo, T.T.; Jahed, N.; Baker, P.G.L.; Iwuoha, E.A. An Electrochemical DNA Biosensor Developed on a Nanocomposite Platform of Gold and Poly(propyleneimine) Dendrimer. Sensors 2008, 8, 6791-6809.