Adsorption Energetics on Well-Defined Surfaces by Microcalorimetry

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

Surface chemical reactions are critically important to a number of high-impact technologies including catalysts for fuels production and pollution prevention, and fabrication of solar cells and microelectronics. One could control these reactions better if one understood how these energies correlate with surface structure. In this award, funded by the Chemical Structure, Dynamics, and Mechanisms and Chemical Measurement and Imaging Programs of the Division of Chemistry, Professor Campbell will measure the energies of surface chemical reactions. His laboratory has developed microcalorimetry tools that allow the study of single crystal surfaces, which will be employed to measure the energies of a variety of surface species of importance in the design of better catalysts, solar cells and microelectronics, and correlated with atomic-level structural details. This will provide a deeper understanding of the relationships between surface chemical reactivity and structure. These energies also will provide important benchmarks for testing the accuracy of new theoretical/computational methods. This work will also provide strong interdisciplinary, research-based education for many graduate and undergraduate students and postdocs. They will get hands-on experience with state-of-the-art research instrumentation and its design, and ample opportunities for international collaborations and interactions at national laboratories. They will be mentored in scientific leadership, public speaking and responsible conduct of research.