Back
With the ubiquity of catalyzed reactions in manufacturing, the emergence of the device laden internet of things, and global challenges with respect to water and energy, it has never been more important to understand atomic interactions in the functional materials that can provide solutions in these spaces.
It is a traditional truism that the behavior of surfaces and interfaces is dictated by the interactions of atoms. Further, the efficacy of chemical reactions and the function of devices are dictated by the behavior of surfaces and interfaces, respectively. Consequently, understanding atomic interactions at surfaces and interfaces is the foundational basis for predicting, controlling, and designing devices and processes. This talk will consider the issue from two perspectives. The first will examine the atomic and electronic structures of ferroelectric surfaces with a view towards determining thermodynamic stability and ultimately the control of surface reactions. This case will be based on the prototypical ferroelectric, BaTiO3, as a demonstration model system. The second will explore the size dependence of nano scale heterogeneous interfaces with the goal of inducing new properties. In this case metal-semiconductor and metal-organic interfaces will be used to demonstrate size dependence and plasmon induced hot electron generation
Prof. Dr. Dawn Bonnell (University of Pennsylvania)
Henry Robinson Towne Professor of Engineering and Applied Science.
Dawn Bonnell received her PhD from the University of Michigan, was at the Max-Planck-Institute in Stuttgart, at IBM Thomas Watson Research Center, then on the faculty at Penn. Her research has been recognized by the Presidential Young Investigator Award, Ross Coffin Purdy and Sosman Awards, and Staudinger/Durrer Medal. She is a past president of AVS, a past vice president of the American Ceramic Society, and served on the board of the American Institute of Physics. She is a fellow of Am.Cer.Soc, AAAS, AVS, MRS and member of the National Academy of Engineering. As founding Director of the Nano/Bio Interface Center, she directed US Dollar 30M to intersections of technology and biology. As Vice Provost for Research she shapes policy and advances administrative and strategic initiatives for Penn’s US Dollar 1.5 billion/year research enterprise.