Spectro-Microscopy
Our investigations focus on the preparation and modification of thin oxide films on metal supports and metal nanoparticles on oxides and on the structural, electronic and chemical properties of these systems for thermal catalysis.
The experiments are performed with the high resolution spectro-microscope SMART (Spectro-Microscope with Aberration Correction for many relevant Techniques) operating at the BESSY II electron storage ring. This aberration corrected and energy filtered Low Energy Electron Microscope (LEEM) / Photo-Emission Electron Microscope (PEEM) combines microscopy, spectroscopy and diffraction of photo-emitted and reflected electrons. It allows for real-time observations of surface processes like oxidation, structure formation or chemical reactions.
Group Members
Name
Room
Phone
Email
Bessy-II, 2.14
- 8062-14671 / -13430
Bessy-II, 2.15
- 8062-15159 / -13430
Bessy-II, 2.15
- 8062-15159 / -13430
Bessy-II 3.12b
- 8062-14731 / -13430
Bessy-II, 2.15
- 8062-15159 / -13430
Bessy-II, 2.15
- 8062-15159 / -13430
Bessy-II, 2.14
- 8062-14661 / -13430
Bessy-II, 2.15
- 8062-15159 / -13430
Spectro-Microscopy Research Group
Recent Publications
2025
, , , , , M. Prieto, L.C. Tanase, M.A. Mawass, J.-W. Hsueh, , , , , , T. Schmidt, and : Novel Precursor for h-BN Synthesis on Ni(111) Substrates. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 129 (35), 15693–15701 (2025).
L.C. Tanase, M. Prieto, L.de S. Caldas, A. Tiwari, F. Scholten, P. Grosse, A. Martini, J. Timoshenko, T. Schmidt and B. Roldan Cuenya: Morphological and chemical state effects in pulsed CO2 electroreduction on Cu(100) unveiled by correlated spectro-microscopy. Nature Catalysis 8, 881–890 (2025).
, , , , , L.C. Tanase, A. Tiwari, L.de S. Caldas, T. Schmidt, B. Roldan Cuenya, and : Spectro-Microscopy of Individual Pt-Rh Core-Shell Nanoparticles during Competing Oxidation and Alloying. ACS Nano 19 (31), 28516–28529 (2025).
, , M. Prieto, L.C. Tanase, L.de S. Caldas, A. Tiwari, T. Schmidt, , and : The relationship between Sm alloying and structure sensitivity of ceria(111)- and (100)-oriented nanoislands on Cu(111). Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 27 (29), 15691–15703 (2025).
, , , , , M. Prieto, L.C. Tanase, L.de S. Caldas, A. Tiwari, T. Schmidt, , , and : High-Temperature Growth of CeOx on Au(111) and Behavior under Reducing and Oxidizing Conditions. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 129 (7), 3583–3594 (2025).
2024
Z. Li, E. Öztuna, K. Skorupska, , A. Jamshaid, , C. Rohner, , M. Prieto, C. Kunkel, , P. Kube, , A. Dudzinski, F. Girgsdies, S. Wrabetz, W. Frandsen, R. Blume, P. Zeller, , D. Delgado Muñoz, , F. Schmidt, , , , , , , , A. Hammud, J. Kröhnert, A. Trunschke, C. Scheurer, T. Schmidt, T. Lunkenbein, , H. Kuhlenbeck, V.J. Bukas, A. Knop-Gericke, , K. Reuter, B. Roldan Cuenya and R. Schlögl: Rationally Designed Laterally-Condensed-Catalysts Deliver Robust Activity and Selectivity for Ethylene Production in Acetylene Hydrogenation. Nature Communications 15, 10660 (2024).
L.de S. Caldas, M. Prieto, L.C. Tanase, A. Tiwari, T. Schmidt and B. Roldan Cuenya: Correlative In Situ Spectro-Microscopy of Supported Single CuO Nanoparticles: Unveiling the Relationships between Morphology and Chemical State during Thermal Reduction. ACS Nano 18 (21), 13714–13725 (2024).
M. Prieto, L.de S. Caldas, L.C. Tanase, T. Schmidt and : Spectromicroscopic study of the transformation with low energy ions of a hematite thin film into a magnetite/hematite epitaxial bilayer. Ultramicroscopy 255, 113855 (2024).
2023
, L.C. Tanase, M. Prieto, L.de S. Caldas, A. Tiwari, , , , , T. Schmidt, and : Surface charge dynamics on air-exposed ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O3(001) thin films. Nanoscale 15 (31), 13062–13075 (2023).
, , , M. Prieto, L.C. Tanase, L.de S. Caldas, A. Tiwari, T. Schmidt, , , and : Preparation and stability of the hexagonal phase of samarium oxide on Ru(0001). Ultramicroscopy 250, 113755 (2023).
2022
M. Prieto, , W. Wan, L.C. Tanase, L.de S. Caldas, S.K. Shaikhutdinov, , , T. Schmidt and B. Roldan Cuenya: Plasma Functionalization of Silica Bilayer Polymorphs. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces 14 (43), 48609–48618 (2022).
, , , , M. Prieto, L.C. Tanase, L.de S. Caldas, A. Tiwari, T. Schmidt, , , B. Roldan Cuenya and : Pattern Formation in Catalytic H2 Oxidation on Rh: Zooming in by Correlative Microscopy. ACS Catalysis 12 (19), 11974–11983 (2022).
, , , M. Prieto, , , , , , , T. Schmidt and : Ostwald Ripening in an Oxide-on-Metal System. Advanced Materials Interfaces 9 (17), 2200222 (2022).
2021
S. Kunze, L.C. Tanase, M. Prieto, P. Grosse, F. Scholten, L.de S. Caldas, , T. Schmidt and B. Roldan Cuenya: Plasma-assisted Oxidation of Cu(100) and Cu(111). Chemical Science 12 (42), 14241–14253 (2021).
, , , , , , , , M. Prieto, D.M. Gottlob, L.C. Tanase, L.de S. Caldas, T. Schmidt, , , , and : A Simplified Method for Patterning Graphene on Dielectric Layers. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces 13 (31), 37510–37516 (2021).
Invited Talks
2024
Chemical Reactions Studied With Spectro-Microscopy. Joint FHI-ICAT Symposium, Berlin, Germany (2024)
2021
Spectromicroscopy: A Tool for In Situ Studies of Chemical Reactions on Surfaces at Nanometer Scale. Seminar, Spectroscopy in UniSysCat – Status and Perspectives, Online Event (2021)
Spectromicroscopy: A Tool for In Situ Studies of Oxide Films and Thermal Reactions. E-MRS Fall Meeting 2021, Online Event (2021)
Coupled Reactions Over Well-Defined Nanocatalysts. UniSysCat Meeting - Unit A, Online Event (2021)
2020
Spectro-Microscopic in Situ Studies of Electrochemistry and Thermal Reactions. FHI-Workshop on Current Research Topics at the FHI, Online Event (2020)
Former Group Pictures
Spectro-Microscopy Research Group 2022
Spectro-Microscopy Research Group 2019