Professor Trenary and his coworkers in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois-Chicago are using time resolved reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy, coupled with time dependent hydrogen dosing and thermal desorption spectroscopy, to examine the mechanisms of fundamental reaction steps on well characterized catalytic surfaces. In particular, with the support of the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, they are examining the mechanisms of hydrogenation and dehydrogenation of adsorbed NH, CN, and C2 species on platinum and ruthenium surfaces. Fundamental information from these studies will be useful in developing a better understanding of these important catalytic processes.
The ability to describe in detail the kinetics of fundamental surface reactions is key to rationally designing catalytic materials and processes. With the support of the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, Professor Trenary and his group at the University of Illinois-Chicago are carrying out experiments that provide this detailed information. Using infrared spectroscopy coupled with time dependent dosing methods, the detailed mechanisms of important hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions are being obtained. This information has broad impact in technologically important fields such as heterogeneous catalysis.
