My research interests lie in the area of Surface Chemistry and its application to the understanding of heterogeneous catalysis. One strand of research focuses on the understanding of surface reaction mechanisms underpinning enantioselective heterogeneous catalytic reactions. Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and surface vibrational spectroscopy (both reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS)) are utilised in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) to characterise the adsorption of chiral molecules onto metal surfaces and the interaction of pro-chiral reagents with chirally modified surfaces.  Facilities are also available for STM and RAIRS measurements of adsorption processes at the liquid-solid interface – i.e. conditions more relevant to the real catalytic systems. Recently, research has focussed on strategies for the development of novel enantioselective systems involving the construction of porous 2-D surface architectures utilising intermolecular H-bonding, metal organic co-ordination and surface confined covalent bond formation.

In addition, the technique of medium energy ion scattering (MEIS, Daresbury Laboratory) is used to characterise the depth dependent composition of bimetallic surfaces – in particular focusing on the influence of catalytically relevant gas phase species on surface composition. Recently, this work has been extended from single crystal bimetallic systems to bimetallic nanoparticles on oxide surfaces.

Development of in situ probes at the liquid-solid interface

Development of novel enantioselective heterogeneous catalysts

Catalysis

Nanotechnology