Low energy adsorbate vibrations

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With the support of the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, Professor Hinch and her coworkers in the Department of Chemistry at Rutgers University are using high energy resolution time of flight analysis of thermal helium scattering to investigate low energy molecule surface vibrations. The interactions of isocyanate, methoxy, and aryl moieties with transition metal surfaces are the focus of this research. These systems provide a range of interaction energies, from weak dative bonding to strong covalent interactions. Information about the frustrated translational and rotational motions of these molecules on the surfaces provides an understanding of the multi-dimensional molecule-surface potential energy surface, and can be used in determining entropic terms for adsorption, energy dissipation mechanisms, transition state energetics, surface diffusion and reaction mechanisms.Professor Hinch and her coworkers at Rutgers University are using careful measurement of the velocity of back-scattered helium atoms to probe the low energy vibrational motions of molecules on transition metal surfaces. Focusing on isocyanate, methoxy, and aryl species on these surfaces to provide a range of molecule-surface interaction energies, this work provides fundamental information about the molecule-surface potential energy surface. This fundamental information is used to enable calculations of surface diffusion, transition state energetics, and surface mechanism and kinetics.