Understanding the Chemistry at Metal Surfaces
Chemical Behaviour of TEABr(aq) at a Charged Interface
This project deals with the fundamental
chemical behavior of charged interfaces in
condensed media. This work currently focuses
on the chemical environment of the
electrochemical interface in non-aqueous
solvents, with the ultimate goal of providing
structure/function relationships for these supra-molecular
assemblies.
A detailed understanding of how interfacial
composition and structure impact surface
chemistry requires molecular level information
about the interface. We have developed several
in-situ analytical strategies to provide this
chemical information about the interface. The
most lucrative approach combines interfacial
vibrational spectroscopy with electrochemical
methods to provide a complete picture of events
occurring at the surface of a charged electrode.
Electrochemical Characterization of Ultrathin Dielectric Silica Films
Fabrication, Initial observations and Future Directions
We have discovered a novel sol-gel method for
fabricating ultrathin (on the order of 30 to 1100
)dielectric silica films, on metal surfaces such
as Cu, Ag, Au, and Pt (Figure 1). By utilizing
the self-assembly characteristics of an
alkanethiol molecule with a trimethoxysilane
functionality, we can create covalent bonds to
silica particles in a pre-prepared sol. Spin--2
coating the sol results in an ultrathin, dense film
on the surface.
