Rainer D. Beck
EPFL SB ISIC SCI-SB-RB
CH G1 491 (Bâtiment CH)
Station 6
1015 Lausanne
Web site: Web site: https://www.epfl.ch/labs/ggsd/
+41 21 693 30 37
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Fields of expertise
Mission
In our laboratory, we study the elementary steps of chemical reactions between gas-phase molecules and solid surfaces such as for example the chemisorption of methane on a nickel catalyst. We use molecular beams and laser radiation to probe the reaction process at a molecular level by performing quantum state resolved reactivity measurements. The results of these experiments provide stringent tests for theoretical models of gas-surface chemistry which is of importance for many industrial and technological processes.Biography
Professor titulaire EPFL, 2006 Privat Docent EPFL, 1997 Habilitation and venia legendi, Universität Karlsruhe, 1996 Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, Oregon State University, 1990 Degree in Physics, Universität Stuttgart, 1985Teaching
I teach General Chemistry for first year medical students of the university of Lausanne.Publications
Infoscience publications
Surface Dynamics Group publications
Gas/Surface reactions probed by reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy
Lausanne, EPFL, 2023. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-9750.State-to-state surface scattering of methane studied by bolometric infrared laser tagging detection
Lausanne, EPFL, 2022. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-8859.Dissociative Sticking Probability of Methane on Pt(110)-(2×1)
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. 2021-05-31. DOI : 10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c00807.State-to-state methane-surface scattering as a probe of catalytic activity
Physical Review Research. 2020-11-18. DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.2.043251.Quantum state and surface-site-resolved studies of methane chemisorption by vibrational spectroscopies
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. 2020-07-29. DOI : 10.1039/D0CP03134H.Unraveling the complexity of oxygen reactions on Pt surfaces
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2019-07-02. DOI : 10.1073/pnas.1908295116.Site Selective Detection of Methane Dissociation on Stepped Pt Surfaces
Topics in Catalysis. 2019-04-16. DOI : 10.1007/s11244-019-01170-5.Quantum state-resolved studies of gas/surface reaction dynamics by vibrational spectroscopies
2019-03-31. National Meeting of the American-Chemical-Society (ACS), Orlando, FL, Mar 31-Apr 04, 2019.CHD3 Dissociation on the Kinked Pt(210) Surface: A Comparison of Experiment and Theory
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2019-05-22. DOI : 10.1021/acs.jpcc.9b03051.Bond-selective and surface-site-specific dissociation of methane on platinum
Lausanne, EPFL, 2019. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-9530.Transferability of the SRP32-vdW specific reaction parameter functional to CHD3 dissociation on Pt(110)-(2 × 1)
The Journal of Chemical Physics. 2019-03-25. DOI : 10.1063/1.5081005.Incident Angle Dependence of CHD3 Dissociation on the Stepped Pt(211) Surface
Journal Physical Chemistry C. 2018-08-16. DOI : 10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b05887.Bond selective dissociation of methane (CH3D) on the steps and terraces of Pt(211)
Journal of Chemical Physics. 2018-08-16. DOI : 10.1063/1.5041349.Vibrationally and Rotationally Inelastic Scattering of Methane from Ni(111)
Lausanne, EPFL, 2018. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-8563.Vibrational Energy Redistribution in a Gas-Surface Encounter: State-to-State Scattering of CH4 from Ni(111)
Physical Review Letters. 2018-01-31. DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.053402.Methane dissociation on the steps and terraces of Pt(211) resolved by quantum state and impact site
Journal of Chemical Physics. 2018. DOI : 10.1063/1.5008567.Surface Reaction Barriometry: Methane Dissociation on Flat and Stepped Transition-Metal Surfaces
Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. 2017. DOI : 10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b01905.Quantum State–Resolved Studies of Chemisorption Reactions
Annual Review of Physical Chemistry. 2017. DOI : 10.1146/annurev-physchem-052516-044910.Dynamics of methane dissociation on transition metals
Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A. 2017. DOI : 10.1116/1.4980145.Quantum-state-resolved reactivity of overtone excited CH4 on Ni(111): Comparing experiment and theory
Journal of Chemical Physics. 2017. DOI : 10.1063/1.4975025.State-to-state scattering of CH₄ from Ni(111) and Gr/Ni(111)
Lausanne, EPFL, 2016. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-7385.Quantum state resolved molecular beam reflectivity measurements: CH4 dissociation on Pt(111)
Journal of Chemical Physics. 2016. DOI : 10.1063/1.4966921.Quantum state resolved gas–surface reaction dynamics experiments: a tutorial review
Chemical Society Reviews. 2016. DOI : 10.1039/C5CS00476D.State-Resolved Methane Dissociation on Pt(111) Studied by Reflection Absorption Infrared Spectroscopy
Journal of the surface science society of Japan. 2015. DOI : 10.1380/jsssj.36.614.Bond-Selective and Mode-Specific Dissociation of CH3D and CH2D2 on Pt(111)
Journal of Physical Chemistry A. 2015. DOI : 10.1021/acs.jpca.5b07949.The Negligible Role of C-H Stretch Excitation in the Physisorption of CH4 on Pt(111)
Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2015. DOI : 10.1021/jp5064897.Vibrational Activation of Methane Chemisorption: The Role of Symmetry
Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. 2014. DOI : 10.1021/jz500728d.Vibrationally Promoted Dissociation of Water on Ni(111)
Science. 2014. DOI : 10.1126/science.1251277.Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Calculations versus Quantum-State- Resolved Experiments on CHD3 + Pt(111): New Insights into a Prototypical Gas−Surface Reaction
Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. 2014. DOI : 10.1021/jz500233n.Quantum state specific reactant preparation in a molecular beam by rapid adiabatic passage
Journal of Chemical Physics. 2014. DOI : 10.1063/1.4861054.Quantum-state resolved gas/surface reaction dynamics of water and methane
Lausanne, EPFL, 2014. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-6061.Quantum state-resolved CH4 dissociation on Pt(111): coverage dependent barrier heights from experiment and density functional theory
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. 2013. DOI : 10.1039/c3cp52244j.Quantum state-resolved gas/surface reaction dynamics probed by reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy
Review of Scientific Instruments. 2013. DOI : 10.1063/1.4803933.Quantum-State Resolved Gas/Surface Dynamics Experiments
Dynamics of Gas-Surface Interactions: Atomic-level Understanding of Scattering Processes at Surfaces; Springer, 2013. p. 179-212.The sticking probability of D2O-water on ice: Isotope effects and the influence of vibrational excitation
Journal of Chemical Physics. 2012. DOI : 10.1063/1.4742914.Vibrationally Bond-Selective Chemisorption of Methane Isotopologues on Pt(111) Studied by Reflection Absorption Infrared Spectroscopy
Lausanne, EPFL, 2012. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-5452.Vibrationally bond-selected chemisorption of methane isotopologues on Pt(111) studied by reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy
Faraday Discussions- Royal Society of Chemistry. 2012. DOI : 10.1039/C2FD20007D.Alignment dependent chemisorption of vibrationally excited CH4(3) on Ni(100), Ni(110), and Ni(111)
Journal of Chemical Physics. 2011. DOI : 10.1063/1.3665136.Mode-specific reactivity of CH4 on Pt(110)-(1×2): The concerted role of stretch and bend excitation
Physical Review -Series B-. 2010. DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevB.82.121404.Steric Effects in the Chemisorption of Vibrationally Excited Methane on Ni(100)
Science. 2010. DOI : 10.1126/science.1191751.Steric Effects in the Chemisorption of Vibrationally Excited Methane on Nickel
Lausanne, EPFL, 2010. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-4784.State-resolved reactivity of CH4 on Pt(110)-(1 x 2): The role of surface orientation and impact site
Journal of Chemical Physics. 2010. DOI : 10.1063/1.3328885.Vibrational Activation in Direct and Precursor-Mediated Chemisorption of SiH4 on Si(100)
Journal of Chemical Physics. 2008. DOI : 10.1063/1.2976563.The effect of molecular vibrations and surface structure on the chemisorption of methane on platinum
Lausanne, EPFL, 2008. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-4170.State-Resolved Reactivity of CH4(2ν3) on Pt(111) and Ni(111): Effects of Barrier Height and Transition State Location
Journal of Physical Chemistry A. 2007. DOI : 10.1021/jp076082w.Cavity ring-down spectroscopy of jet-cooled silane isotopologues in the Si-H stretch overtone region
Journal of Chemical Physics. 2007. DOI : 10.1063/1.2819072.Quantum state-resolved studies of direct and precursor-mediated dissociative chemisorption of silane on Si(100)
Lausanne, EPFL, 2007. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-3946.Efficient Stimulated Raman Pumping for Quantum-State Resolved Surface Reactivity Measurements
Review of Scientific Instruments. 2006. DOI : 10.1063/1.2200876.Infrared spectroscopy of hydrated amino acids in the gas phase: protonated and lithiated valine
Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2006. DOI : 10.1021/ja056079v.State-resolved gas-surface reactivity of methane in the symmetric C-H stretch vibration on Ni(100)
Physical Review Letters. 2005. DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.246104.Bond- and mode-specific reactivity of methane on Ni(100)
Lausanne, EPFL, 2005. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-3335.Quantum state resolved studies of gas/surface reaction dynamics
Chimia. 2004. DOI : 10.2533/000942904777677867.Vibrational mode-specific reaction of methane on a nickel surface
Science. 2003. DOI : 10.1126/science.1088996.Molecular-beam/surface-science apparatus for state-resolved chemisorption studies using pulsed-laser preparation
Review of Scientific Instruments. 2003. DOI : 10.1063/1.1599064.Surface reactivity of highly vibrationally excited molecules prepared by pulsed laser excitation: CH4 (2 nu(3)) on Ni(100)
Journal of Chemical Physics. 2002. DOI : 10.1063/1.1519860.Double-resonance overtone photofragment spectroscopy of trans-HONO. II. State- and time-resolved dissociation and OH-product state distributions
Journal of Chemical Physics. 2002. DOI : 10.1063/1.1471236.Double-resonance overtone photofragment spectroscopy of trans-HONO. I. Spectroscopy and intramolecular dynamics
Journal of Chemical Physics. 2000. DOI : 10.1063/1.481502.Teaching & PhD
Teaching
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering