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Member Profile

Robert May

Icon for: Robert May
Full Name:
Robert Alan May
Project:
IGERT: Atomic and Molecular Imaging of Interfaces/Defects in Electronic, Spintronic, and Organic/Inorganic Materials
Role:
Graduate Student
Joined IGERT:
2006
Univ. or Institute:
University of Texas at Austin
Department:
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Title:
Graduate Student
Primary Discipline:
Analytical Chemistry
Academic Interests:
Ellipsometry, quartz crystal microbalance, porosimetry, metal oxides, electrochemistry, energy storage and conversion
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Porosimetry of Mesoporous MO03 Environmental Ellipsometry

IGERT trainee Alan May supervised by Prof. Keith Stevenson has published in Journal of Physical Chemistry C (2007, 111(49), 18251-18257) a paper detailing the optical properties of mixed MoxW1-xO3 thin films... More »

About Me

I am currently focused on making porosimetry measurements on micro and mesoporous thin films using a combination of spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). In ellipsometric porosimetry different partial pressures of adsorbate are introduced to the sample environment. Then SE is used to determine changes in the refractive index and thickness of the sample. These measured changes can then be used to determine the amount of material adsorbed which is then used to determine parameters such as the sample’s surface area and pore size distribution. The conversion from refractive index to volume is difficult and requires many assumptions, especially in the case of light adsorbing samples or samples with very small pores in which the adsorbate refractive index may change. Thus the QCM is used to verify the SE measurements and determine information about adsorbate-adsorbent interactions. Currently I am working with porous TiC and TiO2 films deposited via reactive balistic deposition (RBD).