Phillip Sprunger

 

Research Interests

Experimental Condensed Matter Physics

Our research group investigates the interconnected atomic, electronic, magnetic, and chemical properties of surfaces, thin films, and nanoscale materials systems, using synchrotron-based VUV photoemission, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and scattering, electron energy-loss spectroscopy, and variable-temperature STM/AFM. My work, funded by NSF, NIEHS, DOE, and NASA, spans many interdisciplinary areas, from materials physics to environmental science to chemical engineering. Building on a long-standing program in heteroepitaxial metal-on-metal and metal-on-semiconductor growth and intermetallic alloy surfaces, the group's work has expanded into high-entropy alloys, probing surface oxidation, vibrational structure, and electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution; electrochemical CO2 reduction at Cu- and Sn-based catalysts in zero-gap membrane-electrode-assembly cells; noble-transition-metal alloys for near-infrared hot-carrier generation and plasmonic optoelectronics; and the formation and decay mechanisms of environmentally persistent free radicals on metal-oxide surfaces. A growing parallel effort applies synchrotron methods, including the development and exposure of new EUV photoresists, to understanding the role of and extraction of critical materials/minerals from industrial residues and to high-temperature alloy processing for advanced manufacturing. As Interim Director of the Louisiana Light Source, my interests now extend to next-generation light-source science and facility design (LaNeXT).

Current and Select Publications

• M. O. Dauda, et al., "Electrolytic Reduction of CO2 in a Flowing Electrolyte Interlayer MEA Cell,” J. Electrochem. Soc. 173, 174502 (2026)
• Nde, Divine; Foley, Fox et al, ”Urea Inhibits the Formation of Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals as well as Accelerates Their Decay,” ACS Omega 11, 26635 (2026)
• McKay, Frank et al., “High-temperature ESL-EDXRD studies on the compositional and structural evolution of complex 3d transition metal alloys,” J. of Alloys and Compounds 1025, 180319 (2025)
• Noor, Sohrab Bin et al., “Precipitation and binder effectiveness in the electrochemical reduction of CO2 at Cu electrocatalysts in zero-gap MEA cells,” Electrochimica Acta 535, 146559 (2025)
• Dauda, Monsuru et al., “Electrochemical reduction of CO2: a common acetyl path to ethylene, ethanol or acetate,” J. of The Electrochemical Society 171, 34501 (2024)
• Thareja, Eklavya et al., “Trends in hot carrier distribution for disordered noble-transition metal alloys,” Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 36, 335701 (2024)
• McKay, Frank et al., “Vibrational study of CO, O2, and H2 Adsorbed on the CoCrFeNi (110) High Entropy Alloy Surface” J. of Physical Chemistry. C, Nanomaterials and Interfaces 128, 14315 (2024)
• Zeng, Congyuan et al., “Titanium and nitrogen interactions under laser additive manufacturing conditions,” Surface and Coatings Technology 378, 124955 (2019)
• Le, M et al., “Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 to CH3OH at Copper Oxide Surfaces,” J. of The Electrochemical Society 158, E45-E49 (2011)
• Wendt, Stefan et al., “The role of interstitial sites in the Ti 3d defect state in the band gap of titania,” Science 320, 1755-1759 (2008)
• Shi, Junren et al., “Direct Extraction of the Eliashberg Function for Electron-Phonon Coupling: A Case Study of Be (1010),” Physical Review Letters 92, 186401 (2004)
• Sprunger, PT et al., “Giant Friedel oscillations on the beryllium (0001) surface,” Science 275, 1764-1767 (1997)
• Besenbacher, F et al. “Growth and Properties of Ultrathin Epitaxial layers,” The Chemical Physics of Solid Surfaces 7 (1997)