1. Could you explain the significance of your article to the non-specialist?

Many applications of surfaces that we encounter in everyday life require understanding on the atomic and molecular scale.  This includes catalysis for energy conversion and producing chemicals, bio-interfaces, like implants in the human body, as well as lubrication and the workings of microelectronic circuits.  Through the use of model surfaces, ranging from metal single crystals to nanoparticles of 1-10 nm size, the structure, composition and mobility of surface atoms and molecules can be monitored with instruments developed recently under practical conditions of high pressures or at the solid-liquid interfaces.

2. What has motivated you to conduct this work?  

In the 1960's molecular studies of surfaces could only be carried out at very low pressures or in high vacuum.  We were aiming towards the development of techniques that could be used at high pressures and at the solid-liquid interface where most surfaces are used in real life.   With these techniques in hand we could investigate surfaces at high pressures and at the solid-liquid interface on the molecular level to uncover how surfaces function in these circumstances.  This led to the discovery of new surface phenomena of structure, chemical bond rearrangements and mobility.

3. Where do you see this work developing in the future? 

The studies of using model surfaces as catalysts moved to nanoparticle and nanoparticle assemblies, which are much closer to the structure and behavior of practical catalyst nanoparticles.  The available techniques that operated at high pressures and at the solid-liquid interface permit the molecular studies of other fields of applications of surfaces in addition to catalysis, such as tribology, polymers, bio-interfaces, microelectronics, energy conversions and environmental chemistry.

4. Are there any particular challenges facing future research in this area? 

We need additional techniques that provide surface structure with ever-higher spatial resolution and time-resolved information of the dynamics of interfaces that could be monitored from the 10-12 to the 1 sec. regime continuously.  Also, these techniques should be able to detect and monitor nanoparticles in the 1-10 nm regime while they carry out chemical reactions.