Title: Adventures with Surfaces
Abstract:
Many of the properties of solids are dominated by their surfaces. Atoms at surfaces are frequently in non-ideal coordination geometries that give them distinct electronic states and high chemical reactivity. This is particularly true for covalently bonded solids such as silicon, the various allotropes of carbon, and metal oxides. As a result, surfaces of these materials play a key role in many fields such as microelectronics, catalysis, and energy storage. My research has focused on developing an atomistic understanding of surface structure and bonding, with an eye toward using this understanding to develop new approaches to controlling surface properties. Along the way this quest has led to twists and turns including leading a large multidisciplinary collaboration and translating discovery to commercialization. In this talk I will describe a few of the highlights of these adventures.