Research Tools

The research tools that we use and the approach that we take in these studies are quite varied. In some cases, we make use of the pristine environment of an ultrahigh vacuum chamber to have complete control of surface composition. In other cases, high surface area nanoparticle powder samples are used with gas-phase atmospheric pressures or liquid-phase environments used. The different pressure regimes and techniques used to probe the chemistry of environmental interfaces depend upon the exact hypotheses we are testing and the environmental questions that we are trying to address. Below lists are some of the research tools and techniques that we use to probe the chemistry of environmental interfaces including those of atmospheric particles (e.g. mineral dust, sea salt, and soot) as well as nanoparticles (e.g. alpha-FeOOH nanorods or TiO2 nanoparticles). A brief description of each of these tools is provided.