Understanding and Controlling Gas-Surface Reactivity with State-Selected Reagents

在这项由化学系实验物理化学项目资助的奖项中，塔夫茨大学的Arthur Utz教授将对气体-表面反应的化学反应动力学进行详细研究，利用激光制备在金属表面上进行量子态分辨反应性测量。这些研究将通过激光激发方法和超高真空技术相结合来进行。一组实验将研究甲烷在表面的反应性，而另一组将使用更大的气体反应物来测试模式特定效应的尺寸限制，对于这些气体反应物，观察到气相中孤立分子的分子内振动能量重新分配(IVR)。这些实验旨在了解内能在气体表面反应中的作用，并测试键选择表面化学的极限。这项工作的最终目标是更好地理解影响气体表面反应性的重要变量，目的是设计更好的理论和改进实际应用。这项研究的结果将为理论界提供许多有用的数据来检验最新的理论。研究结果还将为设计实际的催化反应方案提供重要的指导，这对工业具有重要的意义。参与这项研究的学生和博士后研究助理获得新的知识和技能，为深造或进入科学/技术就业市场做准备。

In this award funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Division of Chemistry, Prof. Arthur Utz of Tufts University will conduct detailed studies of the chemical reaction dynamics for gas-surface reactions using laser preparation to perform quantum-state resolved reactivity measurements on metal surfaces. These studies will be carried out by combining laser excitation methods with ultra-high vacuum techniques. One set of experiments will investigate methane reactivity at surfaces, while another group will test the size limit for mode specific effects by using larger gas reactants for which intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR) is observed for the isolated molecule in the gas phase. These experiments are designed to understand the role of internal energy in gas-surface reactions and test the limits of bond-selective surface chemistry. The ultimate goal of this work is to develop a better understanding of the important variables that influence gas-surface reactivity, with an aim towards designing better theories and improved practical applications. The results of this study will provide theorists with much useful data to test the latest theories. The results will also provide important guidance in designing practical catalytic reaction schemes, which are important to industry. Students and postdoctoral research associates who participate in this research acquire new knowledge and skills in preparation for advanced studies or entrance into the scientific/technological job market.