Module overview
The course deals with the nature of surfaces, both real and ideal, the energetics of adsorption at surfaces and adsorption isotherms, and the charge distribution at the liquid/solid interface. The kinetics of reactions at interfaces, including the role of mass transport and applied potential on the overall kinetics are discussed. The role of microscopic structure of the interface in determining the rates of heterogeneous catalysts is discussed along with spectroscopic and scanning probe techniques for the characterisation of gas/solid and liquid/solid interfaces on the molecular scale. Examples of applications to fuel cells, energy storage and conversion and heterogeneous catalysis are discussed in detail.