UChicago: Gas-Surface Dynamics
My graduate research in Prof. Steven Sibener’s lab explored the impact of condensed-phase film morphology on reaction kinetics and surface adsorption. To do this I conduct my experiments under ultra-high vacuum (UHV), which simulates the cold and low pressure conditions experienced in space, to understand the chemical processes allowing for accretion, release, and aggregation of gases within cometary ices. By using in-situ reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) in conjunction with King and Wells mass spectrometry techniques, my first project examined the sticking probability of CH4 on various D2O ices of astrophysical interest. My second project examined differential condensation of these methane isotopologues using both experimental and numerical simulations. I designed a novel methane and heavy methane surface and ran chemical dynamics simulations using the VENUS MD program and the same initial conditions as my experiment. My third project examined oxidative reactivity of condensed propene films. Alkene oxidation is an important reaction in atmospheric smog formation, combustion processes, formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and soot. Additionally, small alkenes and oxygen are also present in trace amounts in the interstellar medium and condensed-phase oxygen addition pathways could suggest novel channels for chemical complexity in ices. My fourth project explored the interaction between acetone and various astrophysical ices. Acetone is a volatile organic in the troposphere and also present in the interstellar medium where it likely plays a role in the chemical evolution of complex organic molecules.
