Oleg S. Alexeev, Research Assistant Professor

2C33 Swearingen Engineering Center
Department of Chemical Engineering
University of South Carolina, Columbia 29208
(V) 803.777.9914
(F) 803.777.8265
E-mail

Catalytic processes on surfaces take place through sequences of elementary reactions involving adsorbed reactants, products, and reaction intermediates associated with active sites on the catalyst surface.  Our research goals are focused on fundamental understanding of the structure of the metal-support interface, structures of metal clusters on supports, and the influence of promoters on the structure and catalytic properties of supported metal clusters and aggregates.  The objectives of our research program are pursued through an application of a combination of various experimental methods to the characterization of catalytic materials.  Spectroscopic techniques, including TPD, TPR, FTIR, XPS, HRTEM, XRD, UV-Visible, and EXAFS, are used to characterize active sites of catalysts and adsorbed species under actual conditions of catalysis.  Considerable information gained from these techniques along with the chemisorption and catalytic data is used to establish the dependence of catalytic properties on metal cluster or particle sizes, the structure of active sites, and the structure of the metal-support interface.

Selected Publications

• O. S. Alexeev, F. Li, M. D. Amiridis, and B. C. Gates.  Effects of Adsorbates on Supported Platinum and Iridium Clusters: Characterization in Reactive Atmospheres and during Alkene Hydrogenation Catalysis by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy. In press J. Phys. Chem.

• O. S. Alexeev, G. Panjabi, B. L. Phillips, and B. C. Gates.  Reversible Carbonylation and Decarbonylation of g-Al2O3-Supported Hexarhodium Clusters:  Characterization by Infrared, 13C NMR, and Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopies.  Langmuir, 2003, v. 19(22), pp. 9494-9503.

• O. S. Alexeev and B. C. Gates.  Supported Bimetallic Cluster Catalysts.  Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2003, v. 42, pp. 1571-1587.

• O. S. Alexeev, G. W. Graham, M. Shelef, R. D. Adams, and B. C. Gates.  g-Al2O3-Supported PtRu Clusters Prepared from [Pt₂Ru₄(CO)₁₈]:  Characterization by Infrared and Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopies.  J. Phys. Chem., 2002, v. 106, pp. 4697-4704.

• O. S. Alexeev, D.-W. Kim, and B. C. Gates. Partially Decarbonylated Tetrairidium Clusters on MgO: Structural Characterization and Catalysis of Toluene Hydrogenation. J. Mol. Catal., 2000, v. 162, pp. 67-82.