NanoScienceWorks

Andrew Gellman Ph.D.

Professor Gellman's group uses a wide variety of experimental techniques to study processes occurring on surfaces. Much of the work involves the use of ultrahigh vacuum methods to study the bonding of molecules to metal surfaces, surface structure, reaction kinetics, friction, lubrication, etc.
The use of surface science methods to create and study well-defined catalytic surfaces allows us to investigate problems in heterogeneous catalysis at the most fundamental level. One current project is aimed at understanding the nature of the transition state for elementary steps important in the catalytic surface chemistry. These include reactions such as alkyl hydrogenation, acid deprotonation, ß-hydride elimination, dehalogenation and many others. The experimental measurements to probe the characteristics of the transition state are compared to the results of Density Functional Theory simulations performed in collaboration with Professor Sholl. A second project is aimed at understanding the properties of naturally chiral surfaces used for enantioselective heterogeneous catalysis. Naturally chiral high Miller index metal surfaces were first studied in Professor Gellman’s laboratory and have been shown to have enantiospecific interactions with chiral adsorbates.

Education

Ph.D. 1985, University of California, Berkeley; B.Sc. 1981, California Institute of Technology

Awards

Robert A. Welch Foundation Lecturer, 2001

Ipatieff Prize, American Chemical Society, 1998

Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, A.P. Sloan Foundation 1991-1993

Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, 1989-1994

Beckman Fellow - Center for Advanced Study, University of Illinois, 1989

Distinguished New Faculty in Chemistry Award, Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, 1986

Arnold O. Beckman Research Award, University of Illinois, 1986

ICI Postdoctoral Fellow, Cambridge University, 1985-1986

Earle C. Anthony Fellowship, University of California at Berkeley, 1982-1983

Ephriam Weiss Fellowship, University of California at Berkeley, 1981-1982

Fredric W. Hinrich, Jr. Memorial Award, California Institute of Technology, 1981

Books

Dekker Encyclopedia of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Important Articles

Enantioselectivity on Surfaces with Chiral Nanostructures

By this Researcher

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