One could say that surface science is "where the rubber hits the road". Like a tire that grips or slips depending on its surface properties, every material's surface properties (mechanical, optical, magnetic, electronic, and chemical) determine how it interacts with the outside world. Chemical surface behavior in particular is central to a wide variety of technologies and important questions in basic science: This years nobel prize in chemistry was awarded to Gerhard Ertl "for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces" leading to a better understanding of heterogenous catalysis.
At MAX-labs beamlines I511 and I311 scientists from different universities conduct a broad research program in surface science with many possibilities for master projects, e.g. investigations of materials for solar cells, interaction between semiconductors and organic molecules for sensor applications, corrosion of surfaces, etc.
Figure:
With the soft X-ray spectroscopies available at MAX-lab we can investigate a molecule adsorbed on a surface and how the single atoms contribute to the systems overall properties. |
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