Distinguished iNANO Lecture: The chemistry of metals, metal oxides and graphene

Dr. Jan Knudsen, The MAX IV Laboratory and the Division of Synchrotron Research, Lund University, Sweden

The chemistry of metals, metal oxides and graphene

In this talk I will try to convince you that the interplay of high resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HRXPS), ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS), and scanning tunneling microscopy is very strong combination of techniques to study the chemical properties of surfaces.

I will start by introducing HRXPS and APXPS using selected examples from the literature and from my own research.

After this introduction, I will take you into the world of graphene chemistry and discuss cluster growth on graphene, etching of graphene by oxygen, intercalation of molecules in-between graphene and its substrate, and surface reactions in the confined space under graphene.

In my second case story, I will discuss the chemistry of ultrathin iron oxide surfaces. In particular, I will compare water dissociation on FeO bilayer films, FeO₂ trilayer films, and highly stepped FeO bilayer films.

In the last case story, I will discuss how real catalytic reactions can be measured in-situ with APXPS. As an example I will look at H₂ and CO oxidation catalyzed by different transition metal surfaces such as Pt(111), Ir(111), and Pd(100).

Host: Assoc. professor Jeppe Vang Lauritsen, iNANO and Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University

Coffee, tea and bread will be served from 10:00 am in front of iNANO AUD