Professor Hemminger and his colleagues in the Chemistry Department at the University of California-Irvine are using laser desorption Fourier transform mass spectrometry to examine the fundamental kinetics and mechanisms of reactions on transition metal surfaces. With the support of the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, they are investigating the effect of nano-structuring of transition metal surfaces and transition metal particles on thin oxide films, and on the kinetics of hydrocarbon surface reactions. STM, vibrational spectroscopy, and electron spectroscopy are combined with the laser desorption method to provide a clear picture of the reaction mechanism and kinetics, particularly concentrating on hydrogenation and dehydrogenation chemistry. Fundamental information from these studies is useful in developing an understanding of heterogeneous catalysis.
The fundamental mechanisms and kinetics of important hydrocarbon hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions are being examined in this research project. This work combines structural information from scanning tunneling microscopy and vibrational spectroscopy with kinetic information obtained from laser desorption methods. Fundamental insights gained from this work provide an understanding of important catalytic processes.
