Home >> Research Overview >> Research by Faculty Member >> Will Medlin
Medlin Research Group
Model studies of metal - SiO2 interfaces
This research project (funded by NSF through a CAREER award) focuses on development of a new model system that will enable detailed investigations of the chemistry and physics of metal-insulator interfaces. These interfaces are important for an array of applications, including microelectronics engineering, heterogeneous catalysis, and chemical sensing, but have been difficult to study using experiment or theory because they are typically "buried" under a continuous solid layer.
In this project, model interfaces that are accessible to both experimental and theoretical techniques are formed by adsorption of SiO2-like spherosiloxane clusters onto catalytic metal single crystal surfaces.
 A battery of experimental techniques is used to characterize the adsorption and reaction of spherosiloxanes, varying the composition and morphology of the metal substrate along with the size of the spherosiloxane clusters. Results from first-principles computations will be used in interpreting experimental observations, helping to understand the molecular-level structure of the interfaces formed. Once characterized, the model interface will be used to study the mechanism for an important application: the detection of H2 gas using metal-oxide-semiconductor devices.
Research Personnel:
Dylan Kershner, Laura Richards, Brian Kay, Jonathan Chang
Other areas of research in the Medlin Research Group:
|
