Spectroscopic and Microscopic Studies of Surface Reaction Mechanisms

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In this award, funded by the Chemical Structure, Dynamics, and Mechanisms Program of the Division of Chemistry, Professor Michael Trenary and his students in the Department of Chemistry of the University of Illinois at Chicago are conducting fundamental experimental studies of reactions on transition metal surfaces that are designed to not only establish the mechanistic details of the reactions studied, but also to reveal more general reactivity trends in surface chemistry and heterogeneous catalysis. This work entails the characterization of surface intermediates with reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) combined with studies on the structure and spatial distribution of the same surface species with variable temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). The spectral and spatial information from the experiments will be complemented by density functional theory calculations performed through collaborations with theoreticians. The insights gained from this research will provide a basis for the design of better catalysts and better catalytic processes. All of the research is being done in the context of training students at the graduate, undergraduate, and postdoctoral level in modern methods of experimental surface science. This training will prepare these students for a variety of jobs in technology-based industries.