CeCaS fulfilling its Educational Mission: A National MSc student received training on state-of-the-art X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) at the University of Surrey (UK)
Sara Alkhoori is a full-time MSc student in mechanical engineering under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Kyriaki Polychronopoulou. Her MSc thesis is focused on improving metal oxide catalysts for biogas dry reforming reaction by coupling mechanochemical synthesis with enhanced microwave chemistry. Earlier this June, she was invited to visit university of Surrey in England during the period 15th to 30th of June for an organized study program on surface analysis training using the state-of-art x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).
This technique is used to analyze the surface chemistry of a material by identifying the elements on the surface and quantifying their elemental compositions and chemical environment. Therefore, the use of it in catalysis is expected to deepen the overall understanding of the chemical behavior of a catalytic surface. Sara had a great opportunity to visit the Surface Analysis Laboratory at Surrey and engage with the experts in surface science, Dr. Mark Baker (Reader) and Dr Steve Hinder (Research scientist). Being trained on XPS will further her academic studies as a postgraduate research student at Khalifa university and enrich her knowledge in surface sciences.
