Research Projects
According to estimates at least 60% of the industrial products and 90% of chemical transformations are based on catalysts. Most large scale catalytic processes are heterogeneously catalyzed. This is the area of our research. We aim towards an atomic level understanding of basic heterogeneously catalyzed processes (surface reactions, adsorption on surfaces).
- Application of molecular beam scattering techniques for gaining a deeper mechanistic understanding of gas-surface interactions.
- Measurements on nano-structured catalyst surfaces such as metal nano-clusters, nano-tubes, graphene, graphene oxide, silicatene, 2D materials. [ Materials we worked on. ]
- Two-dimensional crystals such as graphene or silicatene.
- Some nanofabrication such as synthesis of silicatene.
- Quasicrystals.
- Metal-free catalysis.
- [ Examples ]
Keywords
surface science; experimental; heterogeneous catalysis; molecular beam scattering; dynamics; kinetics; spectroscopy; AES; XPS; ultra-high vacuum; UHV; supported cluster; model catalysts; nanocatalysts; metal oxides, metals, semiconductors, graphitic systems, nanoscience, nanotubes, electron beam lithography; ambient pressure materials tests
[Conferences and other fun - images gif pdf]
Interested in details? [e-mail]
[alumni] [research-flyer 2009] [faculty profile] [research-flyer 2011]
Mission statement
Very popular in the US. You may consider the following as our "mission":
Developing an atomic level understanding of basic heterogeneously catalyzed processes (surface reactions, adsorption on surfaces). And of course, "Changing the World for the Better, One Article at a Time". :-)
- Gas surface interactions on graphene and graphene oxide. (PhD, Nilushni Sivapragasam, 2014-2018)
- Surface chemistry on two-dimensional silica (silicatene) (PhD, Tilan Nayakasinghe Mudivans, 2014-2019)
- Identification of active sites in heterogeneous catalysis, (PhD, A. Chakradhar, 2010-2014)
- Surface Chemistry Characterization of Hydrodesulfurization and Methanol Synthesis Model Nanocatalysts (PhD, Mallikharjuna Rao Komarneni, 2008-2012)
- Surface Chemistry of Small Organic Molecules on Graphitic Systems (Master, J. Goering, 2007-2008)
- Molecular beam scattering on nano-structured catalysts (PhD, S. Funk, 2004-2007)
Thesis topics
Videos
YouTube video introduction to surface chemistry (recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the NATURE on-line summer camp) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhCaRdPdRTQ (17 min) or the same is also here https://youtu.be/a-Xqq7njwk8
"360-degree video of our lab" (you can change the direction of your view with the PC mouse) basically a walk through our lab in the new Sugihara hall in 2022: https://youtu.be/6bIIFD_uqsk
Or, videos made by one of the graduate students in our lab
- Meet the Student – Thomas Stach (https://youtu.be/zrntYdQWtxk)
- X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (https://youtu.be/z-_4_Fot3uc)
- Ultra-High Vacuum (https://youtu.be/8WCcwQJ1Z9Y)