Chemistry in the world's tiniest test tube

Thursday, 18th June 

About this event

How do we know that molecules react in one way rather than another? Conventional analytical techniques, such as spectroscopy or diffraction, can only support rather than confirm a chemical reaction mechanism. Ultimate knowledge of the reactions can be provided only by studying them at the single-molecule level. Carbon nanotubes, 80,000 times thinner than a single strand of human hair, allow us to entrap molecules and film chemical reactions triggered by heat, electric potential or electron beam with atomic resolution. Reactions in nanotubes often deliver unusual products, such as graphene nanoribbons, or enable improvements of important physical and chemical processes. For example, loaded with metal nanoparticles the nanotubes exhibit remarkable catalytic properties that can be exploited in many applications, including electrocatalysis in fuel cells, outperforming traditional materials. All this becomes possible due to the world’s tiniest test tubes.

This event is now concluded, but you can watch a full recording of the lecture online here