For this work, he has used a number of ultra-high vacuum surface science techniques to, for example, identify and explain several very unusual mechanistic features of the heterogeneous chemistry occurring in a catalytic converter
including: a) the dramatically different CO oxidation reaction mechanism on
ruthenium metal relative to other late transition metals; b) the structure sensitive selectivity of the NO reduction reaction on rhodium metal; c) deactivation of rhodium metal at high oxygen partial pressures; and d) the significantly different CO oxidation reaction mechanism over oxidized rhodium metal.