Vibrations at interfaces Faraday Discussion

8 April 09:00 to 10 April 17:00
Manchester Metropolitan University, The Dalton Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD

Join us in April 2026 for this edition of the Faraday Discussion series. The Faraday Discussions are unique international discussion meetings that address current and emerging topics at the forefront of the physical sciences.

With the advent of several new tools for vibrational spectroscopy at interfaces there is a high level of current interest in exploring vibrations at surfaces and so this is the perfect time to take stock of the state of the art, discuss the newest discoveries, share solutions to common problems and forecast the most promising areas for investigation in the future. 

The Discussion will bring together established and early-career scientists, postgraduate students and industrial researchers working on vibrational spectroscopy at interfaces to deliver an unmissable opportunity to share and discover new work, reconnect with colleagues and establish new collaborations.
 
On behalf of the organising committee, I look forward to welcoming you to Manchester.
 
Phil Davies (Chair)

Themes

Vibrational spectroscopy at interfaces gives unparalleled insights into areas as far reaching as the transport of energy and matter, adsorbate identity and orientation, bond formation and dissociation, lattice dynamics and surface stress. As a result, it has the potential to offer insights into fundamental aspects of nearly every branch of interface science with examples as diverse as cell wall changes in the presence of antibiotics, the identification of transient heterogeneous catalyst intermediates, and understanding the complexities of the electrode/solution interface. 

The conference will be organised into four linked themes: 

Analysis of complex systems
Surfaces can be heterogeneous in chemical structure and composition. The heterogeneity can span length scales from molecules to millimetres and involve multiple components, especially in biological systems. 

  • How do we tackle this problem of complexity?
  • What can be learned from successful approaches to complex systems?
  • Are data from complex systems being over-interpreted or interpreted through confirmation bias? What advances are being made to ensure reliable data interpretation?

Tracking change
Spectroscopy of static systems brings limited information about processes and pathways and there have been many recent advances in studying changing systems. 

  • What approaches are there for studying interfaces away from equilibrium and undergoing dynamical change on sub-second timescales?
  • How do the recent improvements in temporal and spatial resolution affect the spectroscopy of interfaces?
  • What are the latest developments in in situ vibrational spectroscopy.

The surface in silico
Vibrations are of fundamental importance in many surface phenomena including transport of energy, matter and charge. Understanding these phenomena requires very high-level theory.

  • What progress has there been in ab initio calculations of surface vibrations and how they are benchmarked to experimental measurements. 
  • How do state of the art calculations match experiment? What are the limits on the size and time scales of systems that can be modelled. 
  • What is holding us back from getting more done in silico?

What is the question what is the technique?
The list of surface vibrational spectroscopy techniques is long and ever-growing. Where are the most important advances being made and is more progress needed?

  • What is the state-of-the-art for new techniques in the field?
  • What techniques, if any are best for which questions?
  • What questions remain that might require new approaches?

 

For more information and to register visit https://www.rsc.org/events/detail/80614/vibrations-at-interfaces-faraday-discussion