This research project, supported in the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, addresses the thermodynamics of adsorption on well characterized surfaces in a unique way. A direct adsorption single crystal microcalorimeter has been developed by Professor Campbell and his students at the University of Washington which has the sensitivity to directly determine the enthalpy of adsorption of a range of metal on oxide and metal on semiconductor systems. In addition, the adsorption of metals on polymers, and hydrocarbons on platinum are being investigated using this new instrument. This unique information is crucial to the understanding of a variety of important surface processes, ranging from electronic device fabrication to heterogeneous catalysis. In order to understand surface reaction chemistry, which forms the basis of many important interfacial technologies, the basic thermodynamic information about the heats of adsorption of atoms and molecules on surfaces must be known. This basic research effort addresses this question through a unique experimental approach to the direct measurement of these quantities. The results of these investigations will find wide application in technologies including semiconductor processing and catalytic chemistry.
