Dr Roger Bennett

	Contact details
	Telephone	+44 (0) 118 378 8559
	Fax	+44 (0) 118 975 0203
	E-mail	R.A.Bennett@reading.ac.uk
	Location	J.J.Thomson Physical Laboratory. Department of Physics, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AF, UK

Background

Dr. Roger Bennett is a founding member and first Honorary Secretary and Treasurer of the Nanoscale Physics and Technology Group of the Institute of Physics. He joined the department of Physics in 2000 and has established a research group investigating ultra-thin film oxide growth, spatial organisation and the control of the growth of nanostructures. He coordinates much of the activity of the Reading NanoScience and Materials Theme and is currently webmaster and Seminar organiser. He is a member of the Diamond synchrotron I07 beamline user working group. In 2007 he rejoined the chemistry department at Reading where he previously worked developing high temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy to provide a local probe of chemical reaction kinetics on the nanoscale in a range of model heterogeneous catalyst systems.

Research Activities

Transition Metal Oxide Ultra-Thin Films

Transition metal oxides encompass a wide range of technologically important materials ranging from gas sensors, catalytic supports and catalysts through to gate dielectrics in the semiconductor industry. In all of these roles the surface (or interfaces) of the oxide dominate the activity.

The programme at Reading aims to develop an understanding of the properties of the oxide surface, the interface between oxides and metallic nanoparticles and the role of surface defects and structures in growth mechanisms. Current goals include determining why reducible transition metal oxides show a wide range of electronic and structural properties that can be tuned by variation of oxide composition; understanding the nucleation and growth of metallic particles on oxides and the investigation of epitaxial growth of 1-10nm thick ultra-thin oxide films on other materials. We make use of advanced microscopy facilities and photoemission spectroscopy to characterise the materials. In parallel we have recently begun to develop a complementary modelling activity with collaborations locally and abroad. We enjoy considerable beamtime at central facilities and are currently using synchrotron radiation to provide structural data for adsorbates on oxides and the structures adopted by epitaxial oxide ultra thin films.

Collaborations

Dr Georg Held, Reading

Dr Paul Mulheran, Strathclyde

Dr Mark Newton, ESRF, Grenoble

Dr Michael Nolan and Dr Simon Elliot, Tyndall National Institute, Cork

Dr Stephen Poulston, Johnson Matthey plc

 

Selected Publications

1. “Mechanisms and dynamics of protein clustering on a solid surface” P.A. Mulheran, D. Pellenc, R.A. Bennett, R.J. Green, and M. Sperrin, Physical Review Letters 100 (2008) 068102.

2. “Electronic Structure of Point Defects in Controlled self doping of the TiO₂(110) surface: a combined photoemission spectroscopy and density functional theory study”, M. Nolan, S. Elliott, J.S. Mulley, M. Basham, R.A. Bennett and P.A. Mulheran, Physical Review B 77 (2008) 235424.

3. "Structure of Adsorbed Organometallic Rhodium: Model Single Atom Catalysts"
   R. A. Bennett, N. D. McCavish, M. Basham, V. R. Dhanak and M. A. Newton
   Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 056102 (2007). 

4. “Spectroscopy of ultra-thin epitaxial rutile TiO₂(110) films grown on W(100)”, R.A. Bennett, J.S. Mulley, M.A. Newton and M. Surman, Journal of Chemical Physics 127 (2007) 084707

5. “Non-stoichiometric oxide surfaces and ultra-thin films: characterisation of TiO₂” R.A. Bennett and N.D. McCavish, Topics in Catalysis, 36 (2005), 11-19.

6. “Ripening processes in supported and pinned nanoclusters - experiment, simulation and theory” R.A. Bennett, D.M. Tarr and P.A. Mulheran, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 15 (2003) S3139-3152.

7. “Ultra thin film growth of titanium dioxide On W(100)” N.D. McCavish and R.A. Bennett, Surface Science 546 (2003) 47-56.

8. “Catalysis at the metal-support interface: exemplified by the photocatalytic reforming of methanol on Pd/TiO₂” M. Bowker, D. James, P. Stone, R. Bennett, N. Perkins, L. Millard, J. Greaves and A. Dickinson, Journal of Catalysis 217 (2003) 427-433.

9. "Measurement of the surface growth kinetics of reduced TiO₂ during re-oxidation using time resolved Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy”, R.D. Smith, R.A. Bennett and M. Bowker, Physical Review B 66 (2002) 035409 - 1-7.

10. “TiO₂ surface structures for the directed growth of metal nanoparticles via Metal and MetalOrganic Chemical Vapour Deposition”, R.A. Bennett, M.A. Newton, R.D. Smith, J. Evans and M. Bowker, Materials Science and Technology 18 (2002) 710-715.

All publications