Research Interests
Physical chemistPhysical ChemistrySurface ScienceNanoscience
Opportunities
Work Study Positions Available: No
Grant Funded Positions Available: No
Course-Credit Research Opportunities Available: No
Volunteer Research Positions Available: No
Biography
My research concentrates on the study of dynamical processes at the surfaces of semiconductors and metals. In particular, I study electrochemical and laser-assisted processes that form nanoscale and larger structures, including:
Electroless and metal-assisted etching of silicon to form porous silicon
Laser ablation of Si, Ti, Al, Zn and anything else we can stick in front of a laser
Anodization to form nanotubes and porous oxides
Photocatalysis and surface photochemistry
We characterize these structures with electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and photoluminescence. Other techniques are provided by our collaborators in Stanford, Connecticut, Czech Republic, and Finland.
If you do not communicate your ideas, you are not doing science. You are only engaging in a hobby is the quote that introduces my physical chemistry textbook. Chemical education and dissemination of chemical information are priorities in my work. My dedication to effective teaching and the writing of texts that impart knowledge is derived from broad experience at the borders of physics and chemistry, surface science and nanomaterials. I am the author of over 100 scholarly publications as well as the textbooks Surface Science: Foundations of Catalysis and Nanoscience and Physical Chemistry: How Chemistry Works.
