The Castleman Group
Exploring
the unknown and finding the unexpected is the challenge and excitement that
motivates scientific research. It is
especially rewarding when the work offers the promise of new knowledge, as well
as potential applications. An area in
which one can expect to see major advances in the coming decade is research
into the behavior of matter of nanoscale dimensions, clusters and nanoscale
materials. The physical
and chemical properties of cluster systems at the sub-nano and nano-scale are
often found to differ from those of the bulk
and display a unique dependence on
size, geometry and composition. Most
interesting are systems which display properties that vary dramatically with
the number of atoms and composition, rather than linearly scale with the size
of the system. This realm of cluster science where “one atom makes a difference”
is undergoing an explosive growth in
activity, and the Castleman group is recognized as a major pioneer in this area
in which they have been active for many years.
Interest in this field abounds for many reasons, one being the exciting
prospects of using clusters as building blocks for tailoring the properties of
new materials of nanoscale dimensions. In addition, quantum confinement effects
often govern the behavior of matter of this size regime, and studying the
dynamics of clusters provides fundamental insights into the interplay of
structure, geometry and electronic properties in the chemical behavior that can
be manipulated. Clusters are also ideal
models for exploring the mechanisms of certain catalytic processes, as well as
the role of solvation on a wide variety of reactions including charge/electron
and proton transfer, areas in which the Castleman group is also very
active. Clusters are an ideal medium for
exploring the differences between reactions in the gas and condensed phases,
and on surfaces.
104 Chemistry Research Building
University Park, PA, USA 16802
Last Updated: August 20, 2007
