WELCOME To The Home Of Surface Science Group In the School of Chemistry Of The University Of Nottingham

Welcome to the Surface Science Group homepages. We are part of Department of Physical Chemistry in the School of Chemistry, as you've probably realised if you've just jumped all the way through all the links from the University Home Page.

The physical and chemical interaction of gases with solid surfaces plays a very significant rôle in improving our quality of life. Gas-solid interactions are important components of many of the chemical processes upon which our industrialised society depends, including the synthesis of a variety of bulk and speciality chemicals and the growth of semiconductor devices. Our research in this area is driven by the desire for a deeper understanding of the nature of the physical and chemical processes that can occur at the gas-solid interface. At present, research in this area is focused in four broad topic areas,

and involves four members of staff:

These topics are supported by 7 well-equipped ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) chambers, many of which are fully computer-controlled. Fourier transform infrared spectrometers and sophisticated laser systems are also available. Progress in surface science is usually achieved by the synergistic interaction of theory and experiment. Our experimental programmes are supported with state-of-the art computational surface chemistry using a Silicon Graphics workstation and programs capable of sophisticated quantum mechanical calculations, both on small clusters of metal atoms with co-ordinating groups as model adsorbates, and on extended systems with the appropriate surface symmetry.

This is the last photograph we had taken of some of the members of the Surface Science group. From left to right: Mark Ainsworth, Professor Mike Chesters, Kat Street, Chris Fisher, Martin Pearson, Ally Chan, Professor Rob Jones and Frank Rutten. We'll be updating this soon.