Dr James O'Shea
Associate Professor & Reader in Physics, Faculty of Science
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Research Summary
Operating at the nanoscale, where the traditional disciplines of physics, chemistry and biology converge upon the study of atoms and molecules, we investigate the self-assembly and electronic… read more
Current Research
Operating at the nanoscale, where the traditional disciplines of physics, chemistry and biology converge upon the study of atoms and molecules, we investigate the self-assembly and electronic structure of a variety of nanostructures. We therefore use a wide range of surface science techniques from scanning probe including scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), to electron spectroscopy including core-level and valence band photoemission (XPS, UPS), x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS, NEXAFS) and resonant core-level techniques such as resonant photoemission (RPES). We explore self-assembly routes to complex inorganic molecules and supramolecular structures based on hydroge-bonding and metal-coordination bonds such as those which hold a vast array of systems together in nature. We use synchrotron techniques to understand the formation of hydrogen-bonds between molecules and the effect that this has on the electronic structure of molecules. In particular resonant photoemission techniques are used to investigate the charge-transfer timescales of molecular solar cell fragments to understand the fundamental princples that determine their efficiency and electronic coupling. Since many of the most interesting molecules are often too large or fragile to be thermall evaporated under ultra-high vacuum conditions (UHV) we have developed a novel electrospray deposition system that can take molecules directly from solution and deposit them onto an atomically clean surface in UHV.For further information visit the nanoscience group pagesCurrent TeachingF33AS1 Solid State OneF31YL1 Practical PhysicsF34SP3 Materials, Microstructures & Microscopy