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We present infrared absorption studies of solid hydrogen deuteride to pressures as high as 3.4 megabar in a diamond anvil cell and temperatures in the range 5 to 295 K. Above 198 GPa the sample transforms to a mixture of HD ,H2 and D2,…
Palladium (Pd) catalysts have been extensively studied for the direct synthesis of H2O through the hydrogen oxidation reaction at ambient conditions. This heterogeneous catalytic reaction not only holds considerable practical significance…
Transition metal chromophores with earth-abundant transition metals are an important design target for their applications in lighting and non-toxic bioimaging, but their design is challenged by the scarcity of complexes that simultaneously…
Interfaces between aqueous electrolytes and nanoporous carbons are involved in a number of technological applications such as energy storage and capacitive deionization. The disordered nature of the carbon materials makes it challenging to…
Atmospheric aerosols facilitate reactions between ambient gases and dissolved species. Here, we review our efforts to interrogate the uptake of these gases and the mechanisms of their reactions both theoretically and experimentally. We…
We present a study of the adsorption and diffusion of CH4, CO2 and H2 molecules in clathrate hydrates using ab initio van der Waals density functional formalism [Dion et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 246401 (2004)]. We find that the adsorption…
Thermodynamics tells us to expect underwater contact between two hydrophobic surfaces to result in stronger adhesion compared to two hydrophilic surfaces. However, presence of water changes not only energetics, but also the dynamic process…
Experimental results on the thermal desorption of benzene (C6H6) from amorphous silica (SiO2) are presented. The amorphous SiO2 substrate was imaged using atomic force microscopy (AFM), revealing a surface morphology reminiscent of that of…
We present a theory that is able to account quantitatively for the surface and interfacial tensions of different electrolyte solutions. It is found that near the interface, ions can be separated into two classes: the kosmotropes and the…
Understanding the interaction of organic molecules with TiO2 surfaces is important for a wide range of technological applications. While density functional theory (DFT) calculations can provide valuable insight about these interactions,…
Dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) are widely used in applications such as ozone generation and volatile organic compound treatment, where performance can be enhanced through catalyst integration. A fundamental understanding of reactive…
In this work, 6 to 12 nm iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized and coated with poly(acrylic acid) chains of molecular weight 2100 g/mol. Based on a quantitative evaluation of the dispersions, the bare and coated particles were…
The properties of Shockley-type interface states between $\pi$-conjugated organic molecular layers and metal surfaces are investigated by time-resolved two-photon photoemission experiments and density functional theory. For perylene- and…
In this study, we investigated the physisorption mechanisms of O2, H2O, CH4, and CO2 molecules on alumina and their effect on electronic properties. We employed quantum-classical molecular dynamics simulations and the self-consistent-charge…
Soft x-ray linear and circular dichroism (XLD, XMCD) experiments at the Ce M$_{4,5}$ edges are being used to determine the energy scales characterizing the Ce $4f$ degrees of freedom in the ultrathin ordered surface intermetallic…
We have studied the adsorption of bisphenol-A-polycarbonate (BPA-PC) on the alpha-Al2O3(0001) surface using density-functional theory (DFT) with van der Waals (vdW) corrections. The BPA-PC polymer can be divided into its chemical fragments…
Water interactions with oxygen-deficient cerium dioxide (CeO$_2$) surfaces are central to hydrogen production and catalytic redox reactions, but the atomic-scale details of how defects influence adsorption and reactivity remain elusive.…
Equilibrium adsorption of disk-like particles on patterned adhesive surfaces is studied using Monte Carlo simulations. The surface is represented as a two-dimensional plane with circular adhesive domains arranged either regularly or…
The adsorption behavior of ions at liquid-vapor interfaces exhibits several unexpected yet generic features. In particular, energy and entropy are both minimum when the solute resides near the surface, for a variety of ions in a range of…
The shape of biological shells, such as cell nuclei, membranes, and vesicles, often deviates from a perfect sphere due to an interplay of complex interactions with a myriad of molecular structures. In particular, semiflexible biopolymers…