The Analytical and Surface Chemistry (ASC) Program with contribution from the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE), and the German Research Foundation (DFG) will support the international collaboration in chemistry (ICC) research project of Prof. Jeffrey Roberts of the University of Minnesota and Prof. Dr. Gerhard Kasper at the University of Karlsruhe in Germany. The two groups will study the uptake and reaction of small, catalytically relevant molecules- e.g., oxygen, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and simple unsaturated hydrocarbons- onto aerosolized gold nanoparticles. The Minnesota group will measure particle size-dependent uptake probabilities of analytically relevant molecules in the particle size range of 4-20 nm using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Researchers at Karlsruhe will directly measure catalytic activity of gold aerosol particles by using FTIR to probe gas-phase composition during particle-mediated reactions. They will also apply the technique of aerosol photoelectron spectroscopy (APES), which is available in fewer than 5 laboratories worldwide, to study the photoelectric response of particles during catalytic reactions. As a result of these combined efforts, the Minnesota and Karlsruhe teams will be able to provide a much more complete picture of metal aerosol reactivity. The international collaborative project will provide excellent training opportunities to students who will carry out a fundamental research project aiming to develop new methods for studying and thinking about aerosol surface chemistry, especially in nanometer-dimension aerosol particles.
