Fritz-Haber-Institut
What is now called the Fritz-Haber-Institute of the Max-Planck-Society was
founded in 1911 as the Kaiser-Wilhelm Institute for Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry .
In 1986 Gerhard Ertl succeeded Gerischer as director of the Department of Physical Chemistry
and was appointed Scientific Fellow at the institute. His research interests focus on structure and chemical reactions at solid
surfaces. A joint Computer Center (Gemeinsames Rechenzentrum, GRZ)
for the Fritz-Haber Institute and the Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics was opened in 1986. In July 1988
Matthias Scheffler was appointed Scientific Fellow of the
institute and director of the newly opened
Theory Department .
Thedepartment specializes in surface theory as well as solid state
research, quantum chemistry, and computational physics. In 1995 Robert Schloegl
was appointed Scientific Fellow of the institute and a new Department of
Inorganic Chemistry was established. This department concentrates on heterogeneous reactions on inorganic surfaces. Oxidation reactions
of carbons and metals are studied as well as a range of heterogeneous catalytic processes involving partial oxidation and dehydrogenation steps.
The goal of this experimental research is to bridge the gap between surface physics and surface chemistry. In 1995,
Hans-Joachim Freund became director of the
Department of Chemical Physics , its objectives being studies of adsorption and reaction
on solids, in particular, on oxide surfaces. In 2002 Gerard Meijer was appointed as a new director at the institute,
and he installed the new Department of Molecular Physics. Respective renovations and rebuilding started in autumn 2002, and the new
department is expected to be operational in autumn 2003.
Otto Stern
won the 1943 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contribution to the development of the molecular ray method and his discovery of the
magnetic moment of the proton. Now we call them molecular beams and his
use of H and He beams demonstrated that wavelike behavior is not limited to subatomic particles and photons.
Here is more information on some of my interestes in adsorption and desorption dynamics.
The European Network Dynamics of Gas-Surface Interactions, can be found here.
The University of Liverpool Surface Science Center is a hotbed of activity in surface dynamics.
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