Dr Ali Reza Kamali

Dr Ali Reza Kamali,

PhD, MSc, BSc, MRSCalipic

Senior Research Associate and Consultant

Dr Ali Kamali has a diverse research background that spans metallurgy, materials chemistry, materials synthesis and characterization, sustainability and nanostructures. 

Previous Research

Prior to joining University of Cambridge in 2009, Ali had conducted research projects on topics such as hydrometallurgical treatment of mechanically activated concentrates, combustion synthesis of titanium-based alloys, mechanochemical synthesis of titanium, nickel and tungsten -based intermetallics, and powder/melt processing of intermetallic alloys. During 2009-2013, with funded assistance from the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers and the UK Technology Strategy Board, Ali scaled up and then successfully transferred a unique method for making carbon nanotubes and carbon nanoparticles in molten salts from University of Cambridge to industry.

Current Research

- Graphene

Large scale production of inexpensive but high quality graphene is a critical step towards its widespread application. A novel method for synthesis of graphene was developed based on high temperature diffusion of hydrogen from molten salts into the interlayer space of graphite, suggesting an effective way of producing graphene nanosheets in large quantities. This technology has been licensed from University of Cambridge to a British company and its scaling up is currently taking place by the fund provided by the industry.

-Anode materials for lithium ion batteries

TSB and EPSRC funded investigations have been conducted to develop new metal-carbon hybrid materials with enhanced performance as anode materials for advanced lithium ion batteries.  This research is currently investigating the large scale production of graphene hybrid nanostructures.

 -Nanodiamonds

A novel method of making inexpensive CNTs and nanoparticles from graphite has been developed in University of Cambridge, and its commercial potential was recently demonstrated. The electrolytically produced carbon material can be tailored to possess a unique microstructure in which inorganic materials are located within their graphitic walls. It was discovered that diamond nanocrystals can be produced by a special heat treatment of this nanostructured material under normal atmospheric pressure, perhaps providing a significant advantage over the available technologies. This technology has been licensed from University of Cambridge to an international company and its further development is now explored by funding provided by the industry.

Selected Patents

  1. Simultaneous production of gamma titanium aluminde and grossite (KRH process to Produce γ-TiAl and CaAl4O7), AU Patent 2005100278.
  2. Method for producing synthetic diamonds, WO2014086889.
  3. Method of producing graphene, WO2015121613
  4. Powder comprising carbon nanostructures and its method of production, US2015056513.

Selected papers

  1. A.R. Kamali, D.J. Fray, Large-scale preparation of graphene by high temperature diffusion of hydrogen into graphite, Nanoscale 7(2015), 11310-11320.
  2. A.R.Kamali, D.J.Fray, Preparation of nanodiamonds from carbon nanoparticles at atmospheric pressure, Chemical Communications 51 (2015), 5594-5597.
  1. A.R.Kamali, D.J.Fray, Towards large scale preparation of carbon nanostructures in molten LiCl, Carbon 77 (2014), 835-845.

Google Scholar Profile: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=9USa0K8AAAAJ&hl=en