Molecular hydrogen is a key renewable energy material, and its adsorption on solid surfaces is important for its storage, transport, and catalytic reactions. Characterizing the structure and dynamics of these small and fast-diffusing molecules weakly adsorbed (physisorbed) on metallic surfaces has long been a major challenge. We investigate hydrogen molecules on a silver surface and demonstrate that low-temperature tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (LT-TERS) reveals the vibrational and rotational properties of the physisorbed molecule [more...]

The Gerhard Ertl Young Investigator Award recognizes young researchers for their outstanding talent and research in surface science. The award has been sponsored since 2010 by Elsevier and is awarded to the winner of a competition between 5 selected nominees, which present their work with an invited talk in a special session at the DPG Spring Meeting of the Surface Science Division. Niclas S. Müller wins the Gerhard Ertl Young Investigator Award 2025 with a talk entitled “Imaging Infrared [more...]