The Smart Surface Structures research group at Flinders is primarily interested in technology enabling surface architectures, which are achieved through exploiting the physics and chemistry of surfaces and interfaces. We seek to understand atomic and molecular mechanisms that take place and with knowledge of these, produce enhanced interfaces with properties tailored and optimised for their specific application. At the moment, our group's research effort is concentrated in the following areas

• Atomic and Molecular Surface Nanostructures - Nanoscale surface phenomena, mechanisms of assembly, structural transitions and kinetic processes in atomic and molecular surface clusters, nanoparticles and thin films
• Surface Modification - tailoring the chemical, physical and mechanical properties of surfaces and interfaces for compatibility in their specific application
• 3D Printing of Metals and Alloys - melting and fusion of metal powders and solification, processes, microstructure and the underlying surface physics involved
• Corrosion protection - alternatives to currently used, hazardous, inorganic treatments
• Novel Photovoltaics - building new architectures for harvesting solar power
• Carbon-based Molecular Electronics - aimed at producing atomic and molecular-scale wires on surfaces using environmentally favourable materials, reducing the energy footprint of silicon and rare-earth metal based technologies

and involves a range of spectroscopic and surface science characterisation methods, such as (but not limited to) X-ray Photoelectron, Ultra-Violet Photoelectron and Auger electron spectroscopy (XPS, UPS, AES) and microscopy (SEM, TEM, SAM), streaming zeta-potential (SZP), mass spectrometry (ToFSIMS), scanning probe microscopies (STM, AFM), Raman confocal microscopy and synchrotron measurements with most of these techniques.

ORCID ID - orcid.org/0000-0003-0088-7361