Gabor Somorjai
LBNL Faculty Senior Scientist
University Professor of Chemistry
Univ of California, Berkeley
somorjai@berkeley.edu
phone: 486-4831
Education
B.S. Chemical Engineering, Technical
University, Budapest, Hungary
Ph.D Chemistry, University of California,
Berkeley
Major Awards
2008 Priestley Medal of the American Chemical Society
2007 Langmuir Prize from the American Physical Society
2002 National Medal of Science
1998 Wolf Foundation Prize in Chemistry
1979 Election to the National Academy of Science
General Research Interests
Professor Somorjai’s research interests are in the field
of surface science. His group is studying the structure, bonding,
and reactivity at solid surfaces on the molecular scale. This
knowledge is then utilized to understand macroscopic surface
phenomena; adsorption, heterogeneous catalysis, friction, lubrication,
and biocompatibility on the molecular level. To this end, he
also develops instruments for nanoscale characterization of surfaces.
These include sum frequency generation surface vibrational spectroscopy
(SFG) and high pressure scanning tunneling microscopy (high pressure
STM).
BES Research Projects:
Surface Science
and Catalysis program
Nanoscience and
Nanoparticles for 100% Selective Catalytic Reactions
Strategic Design
of Novel Catalysts for the Selective Synthesis of Fuels and
Chemicals
Helios SERC
Personal website: http://www.cchem.berkeley.edu/gasgrp/
Figure: Surfaces of model catalysts from the
single crystal to monodispersed nanoparticles. The surfaces are
characterized on the atomic and molecular level under reaction
conditions using techniques such as SFG, STM, and XPS. The surface
structure (shape), particle size and composition are correlated
with reaction rate and selectivity.
