Dr. Jerry LaRue

Catalysts are the unsung heroes of chemistry: Widely used in industry, they speed up chemical reactions by making the reactions more selective and efficient. While they are essential for producing fuels, chemicals, and materials of all types, many of the molecular-level steps that control their activity remain poorly understood. The LaRue Catalysis Research Lab (CatLab) investigates the fundamental processes that drive reactions on metal catalytic surfaces, with a particular focus on how electrons drive chemical change. We use advanced optical and X-ray techniques to observe and control these processes, uncovering how energy flows through catalytic systems to drive chemical reactions.

Our research spans both model metal surfaces and light-driven metallic nanoparticles. Using surface science approaches, we study reactions of small molecules such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and methanol to isolate individual reaction steps and determine how electronic and molecular dynamics influence reactivity. We also design and synthesize core-shell metallic nanoparticles to investigate plasmon-enhanced photochemistry and understand how nanoparticle size, shape, and composition can be used to control photocatalytic activity and selectivity.