CAREER: Vibrational-State Selected Studies of Gas-Surface Reactions: Strategies for Chemical Control of Gas-Surface Reactivity

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In this CAREER project supported by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Arthur Utz of Tufts University will use supersonic molecular-beam techniques, infrared laser excitation of gas-phase reagents, and ultrahigh vacuum surface characterization to elucidate the role of vibrational energy, both alone and in combination with translational energy, in promoting the reactivity of gas-phase molecules incident on a solid surface. Experiments will probe the dissociative chemisorption of methane on a Ni(111) surface. The educational goal of this project is to stress the importance of active learning. For chemistry majors this will be accomplished through student participation in original research, providing a hands-on experience that should lead to a deeper and more lasting understanding of important concepts and skills. Cooperative learning methods and open-ended laboratories incorporated into the curriculum should produce a similar result for all the students enrolled in chemistry courses. Other educational methods, such as public information forums targeted at the non-scientist, will help convey the importance of chemistry outside of the classroom. Comparing the reactivity of methane excited with different amounts of vibrational energy will identify the nuclear motions most effective at promoting chemical reaction and will help explain the molecular basis for the dissociation of methane following adsorption on an ordered metal surface. These results have practical importance in understanding materials deposition, semiconductor device fabrication, and heterogeneous catalysis processes used in the chemical industry, and will help understand how to improve the yields of desired products and reduce the levels of unwanted byproducts. The educational component of this work should increase the level of understanding of chemistry for both specialists and the general public and demonstrate the effectiveness of such approaches to scientists in other fields.