Prof. Gianmario Martra

Position: Associate Professor of Physical Chemistry Institution attended: University of Torino, Department of Chemistry & Interdipartimental Centre of Excellence “Nanostructured Interfaces and surfaces – NIS” Scientific interests: Preparation and characterization of bulk, surface and interface properties of hybrid nanomaterials. Investigation, at an atomic/molecular level, of the relationships between nature&structure of surface sites of nanomaterials intended for catalytic or biomedical applications and their surface functional behaviour.

Lecture title: Surface sites of nanomaterials: investigation at molecular level by combining spectroscopic and theoretical studies.

Lecture abstract: Relevant aspects of the functional performances of nanoparticles intended for many types of applications (heterogeneous catalysis, sensing, biomedicine) depend on their surface features. The possibility to obtain detailed information on nature and structure of surface sites, and of their interfacial interactions with molecular media, by combining IR spectroscopy of adsorbed probe molecules and theoretical calculations will be presented.