UD - Chemistry and Biochemistry
Thomas P. Beebe, Jr., Ph.D.
Professor
Analytical and Biophysical Surface Chemistry
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Director, Surface Analysis Facility
University of Delaware
175 Brown Laboratory
Newark DE 19716-2522
Phone: (302) 831-1888
FAX: (302) 831-6335
E-Mail: beebe@udel.edu
Web Site: http://www.udel.edu/chem/beebe/
Education:
Ph.D.,University of Pittsburgh, 1987
B.A. Franklin & Marshall College, 1982
Research Interests:
My research group focuses on the surface chemistry, surface biology, and surface physics of systems ranging from living neurons, to monolayers on graphite, to air pollution particulates. We engage in multi-disciplinary projects that employ state-of-the-art surface analytical tools including scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES).
Molecule corrals are nanometer-sized pits that can be formed with a high degree of control on the basal plane of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). They have a number of unique features that make them useful for several purposes: (1) They can be produced by a simple benchtop oxidative process in an oven operating in the ambient air, producing CO2 (g); (2) They can be produced with a diameter from one nanometer to several microns by varying the total reaction time used to produce them, and they can be produced in both monolayer-deep and multilayer-deep versions, with depth control; (3) They are produced in an inherently parallel process, covering the entire surface; (4) They can be produced with a density that ranges from less than 1 per µm2 to more than 100 per µm2; (5) Once formed, they can be used in a range of diverse applications and fundamental studies. Using patterned arrays of molecule corrals, we are currently working on templated nanostructures and controlled polymerization of corral-bound molecular arrays, producing novel nanostructures with conductivity along molecular chains.