The Watson Lab celebrates the launch of the ECU Spectroscopy and Surface Science Research Facility

Big news coming out of ECU with the launch of the new Spectroscopy and Surface Science Research Facility!

It was great to join collaborators and dignitaries at the launch of the new Spectroscopy and Surface Science Research Facility at Edith Cowan University. Dr Duncan Wild is due to head up the spectroscopy arm of the facility, relocating his time-of-flight photoelectron spectrometer from UWA. This instrument (which Peter completed his PhD on), measures the energy conserved upon ejection of an electron from a chemical species when irradiated by laser light. In most work in the Wild Group, these case weakly bound van der Waals clusters. By approaching neutral molecules from their corresponding anion complex, these experiments provide insight into how gas phase reactions occur in our atmosphere.

Notable examples of this instrument in action include Hayden Robinson’s study of the S_N2 reaction between bromide anions and methyliodide and Christian Haakanson’s work on halides bound to CS₂ which featured on the cover of ChemPhysChem.

Also featured at the SSSRF are a number of RF sputtering instruments overseen by Dr Magdalena Wajrak that are capable of coating materials in metals for the purposes of generating catalytic materials. With our goals to understand and improve upon industrial processes, the Group is eagerly looking forward to working with Magda, Duncan, and collaborators within the WA School of Mines to take chemical understanding from the gas phase in the laboratory, to fully deployed catalytic cells!