Mark Dreibelbis
2^nd-Year Graduate Research Assistant

B.S., Chemistry,  Susquehanna University, 2005


Specific Project

The goal of my research project is the synthesis and characterization of intermetallic nanoparticles which show promise as catalytic materials in fuel cells.  Currently I am investigating the chemical reduction of organometallic platinum and lead compounds to make nano-sized crystals of the intermetallic compound PtPb.  By altering the precursors to achieve high solubilities and choosing a near diffusion-limited reducing agent, I hope to optimize the synthesis of these nanoparticles and perhaps establish some mechanistic insight into the reaction.  The ideal goal would be to develop a generalized reaction scheme by which any binary (or even trinary) intermetallic compound could be synthesized in nanoparticle form.