Prof. Dr. habil. Friedrich Esch

Affiliation

Chair of Physical Chemistry

School

TUM School of Natural Sciences

Contact Details

Business card at TUMonline

Research

Our group investigates the dynamics of catalytically active atoms and clusters – metastable matter in the non-scalable size regime. We deposit atomically precise clusters and study their interaction with diverse supports, ranging from periodically wettable 2D materials to oxides of different electron affinity and reducibility. Our aim is to connect structural dynamics of both support and particles – such as diffusion, particle fluxionality or encapsulation – to catalytic activity, and to develop strategies for actively modulating this activity.

To this end, we have developed a state-of-the-art fast-scanning probe platform that seamlessly bridges fast movie acquisition, particle tracking, and high-speed data-acquisition modes, enabling new automation protocols. Integrated into a variable-temperature SPM, this platform allows us to explore clusters at the solid–gas interface while simultaneously monitoring catalytic activity and chemical state via a highly sensitive pulsed-valve experiment and photoemission spectroscopy (VTSPM project). Its implementation in an electrochemical STM provides unique access to the solid–liquid interface, revealing potential-induced solvation, dissolution, and reaction dynamics at the atomic scale (ECSTM project).

Curriculum Vitae

Short CV