Phosphorus-, Nitrogen-, Sulfur-, and Chlorine-Containing Molecules on Surfaces.

The research is in the area of chemical reactions on surfaces and deals with molecules and solids that model systems of technological and environmental significance to ARO. In particular, we study heteroatom organic adsorbates containing halogens, sulfur, oxygen, phosphorus and nitrogen. The fundamental surface chemical decomposition kinetics of selected molecules, especially simulants, are studied on metal and metal oxide substrates that model technological materials used to destroy and render them harmless. Our goal is to acquire fundamental and quantitative molecular level descriptions of heterogeneous chemical reactions at gas-solid interfaces.