(1) FUNCTIONALIZED MATERIALS: IMMOBILIZED CATALYSTS

(2) THE SURFACE CHEMISTRY OF OXIDE MATERIALS

(3) MATERIALS CHARACTERIZATION WITH SOLID-STATE NMR SPECTROSCOPY

(1) The immobilization of catalysts is of growing interest because the advantages of heterogeneous catalysts can, in principle, be combined with those of homogeneous catalysts. Immobilized or surface-bound homogeneous catalysts are easy to recycle, and they are very active and selective. Furthermore, they are amenable to systematic design. We find highly interesting results when heterobimetallic systems, such as the Sonogashira Pd/Cu catalyst, are involved.

(2) Especially in this area the immobilization step requires a thorough understanding of the surface chemistry of the oxide support materials. Therefore, we investigate not only the reactivity of metal complexes and linkers, but also their mobilities on the surfaces.

(3) The most powerful analytical tool for investigating all amorphous materials is solid-state NMR spectroscopy. We optimized this method especially for surface-bound species, and we can easily study reactions on surfaces, or analyze the nature of our anchored linkers or catalysts.