Land Surface Science Group

For the last sixteen years, the Land group has been dedicated to understanding the details of chemistry at interfaces, and specifically how changes in surface structure bring about changes in the chemistry and bonding of adsorbates. Interfaces play key roles in fuel cells, catalysts, microelectronics manufacturing, corrosion, wear, and waste remediation. In addition, interactions at the interface between biomedical implants and biological fluids play a deciding role in the assimilation of these devices.

Microscopy and molecular kinetics studies of surface reactions are used to elucidate the relationship between structure and function in surface chemistry. We use a barrage of specialized techniques to analyze the outer-most atomic/molecular layers at interfaces. Because of the infinitesimal amount of sample, this field relies on recent technologies which probe only the surface region. The applications of these techniques range from medical sensors to fire investigation.