Experimental Physical Chemistry

Research

Experimental Physical Chemistry cuts across many specialty areas in the Department of Chemistry, providing measurements of the physical properties that lead to molecular behavior and reactivity. Through a combination of state-of-the-art facilities and the interdisciplinary nature of our program, researchers can explore physical chemistry in solids, liquids, and gases, and the interfaces that bring them together. The research groups in this area probe the intermolecular forces that drive the self-assembly of new energy-storage materials and the thermodynamics and phase behavior of novel macromolecules. Lasers are employed to study the physics of electron transfer events that capture solar energy and chemical changes on time scales from femtoseconds to days. Our graduate students use nuclear spins to map the structures of massive proteins, and mass spectrometry to discover acids and bases with phenomenal reactivities. Microwave photons uncover the structures of ions and molecular clusters that react in the Earth's atmosphere, while lasers and sophisticated ion optics probe bare and partially ligated metal clusters that underlie the development of modern catalysts. Electron and scanning probe microscopes bring the molecular world into vivid focus, revealing growth mechanisms of nanoscopic particles and hybrid materials.

World-class user facilities such as the U of M Characterization Facility and Nanofabrication Center place atomic resolution of chemistry at the fingertips of our researchers and inspire new interdisciplinary solutions to understanding the underlying physics of our world. Many groups in Experimental Physical Chemistry use the extensive on-campus resources of the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute to perform high-level computations that augment the interpretation of experimental results. The department is frequently host to world renowned visitors in physical chemistry research, placing our students in the front row to learn about cutting-edge techniques and enabling new connections and collaborations.

The Chemical Physics program is a separate interdisciplinary graduate program with graduate faculty consisting of members of the Departments of Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Biochemistry, and Medicinal Chemistry. Read More.