Professor Bruce E. Koel of Lehigh University is supported by the Chemical Catalysis Program in the Division of Chemistry to prepare bimetallic germanium and tin alloys on platinum surfaces, such as Sn/Pt(111) and Ge/Pt(111), and to form oxide films on these alloys. A sophisticated suite of surface analytical spectroscopy and microscopy techniques will be employed to characterize the alloys with atomic scale resolution and provide information on their structure, composition, and catalytic properties. Structure-property relationships of these systems, required for their development as new catalytic materials, will be established.
The majority of metal-based heterogeneous catalysts are bimetallic or multimetallic systems. The proposed research will lead to a better understanding of how the structure and composition of bimetallic Pt alloy surfaces, and oxide-alloy interfaces affect the chemistry and catalysis of these materials. The results will inform the development of new catalysts with higher selectivity and the rational design of nanoscale materials with improved functionality. Graduate and undergraduate students and postdoctoral associates involved in this research will receive excellent training in chemical catalysis and surface chemistry.
