HOME > Profile > CUSTANCE, Oscar
- Address
- 305-0047 1-2-1 Sengen Tsukuba Ibaraki JAPAN [Access]
External affiliations
- Visiting Associate Professor at Osaka University
Research
- Keywords
high-resolution atomic force microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy
Atomic scale characterization of wide band gap metal oxide surfaces with high-resolution atomic force microscopy
Society memberships
応用物理学会
Awards
- Nano-probe Technology Award of the 167th Committee on Nano-probe Technology of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (2014)
- The Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (JP) (平成21年度科学技術分野の文部科学大臣表彰科学技術賞) (2009)
- Foresight Institute Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology (US) (2009)
Center for Basic Research on Materials
High-resolution scanning probe microscopy applied to technologically relevant materials
Scanning tunneling microscopy, Atomic force microscopy, Ultra-high vacuum, Atomic resolution, Metal oxide surfaces, Molecular surface chemistry
Overview
Fundamental studies on single-atom catalysis on wide band-gap metal oxide surfaces using atomic force microscopy.
Fundamental studies on atomic defects and adsorbates at on technological semiconductor substrates using scanning probe microscopy
Study of surface chemical reactions of organic molecules using scanning probe microscopy
Novelty and originality
• Sub-molecular and atomic resolution on insulating and wide band-gap substrates with high-resolution atomic force microscopy
• Combination of simultaneous scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy for an unambiguous identification of molecules and atoms
• High-resolution scanning tunneling spectroscopy for the study of single spins and surface electronic properties of materials
• High-resolution atomic force microscopy for the characterization of interatomic forces and local reactivity of surfaces
Details
We apply state-of-the-art scanning probe microscopy techniques to study single-atom catalysis. We try to clarify fundamental properties of transition metals dispersed on oxide supports and to understand how the interaction with the substate modify their reactivity with different molecular species for hydrogen production and other energy sources.
We also simultaneously combine scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy to study chemical reactions of organic molecules at surfaces.
Summary
Our research approach bears potential to find combinations of materials for enhancing the production of hydrogen and methanol, as well as to find novel approaches to produce chemical reactions of organic compounds that only occur in the presence of the reactants at surfaces.