Daniel James Harding

My research aims to develop a deeper understanding of the atomic-scale mechanisms of the catalytic reactions of small molecules at interfaces. Reactions occurring at surfaces are found in many fields, including industrial catalysis and atmospheric chemistry, making a detailed understanding of how and why these reactions occur an important step towards designing better catalysts or modelling pollutants in the atmosphere.

In my group we are developing a new experimental technique, Near-Ambient Pressure Velocity Map Imaging, to study catalytic reaction in the "pressure gap", providing information about the dynamics and kinetics of simple reactions. This information allows details of the reaction mechanism, including the reaction barrier heights, to be determined experimentally, providing benchmark data for theory and input for modelling more complex systems.