About

Eric I. Altman is the Roberto C. Goizueta Professor of Chemical & Environmental Engineering & Materials Science at Yale University. His research focuses on understanding and exploiting chemical processes on solid surfaces, including heterogeneous catalysis and the formation and characterization of novel materials. His work is primarily experimental, with theoretical guidance, and is intrinsically interdisciplinary, involving collaborations across applied physics, chemistry, mechanical engineering, and materials science. Current efforts in his research include developing novel two-dimensional van der Waals forms of silicates and related materials that serve as models for atomic-level understanding of catalytic reactions, potential atomically thin membranes for separations, and atomically thin piezoelectrics. He employs atomic force microscopy to probe intermolecular interactions on surfaces that lead to catalytic reactions and investigates switchable surfaces to facilitate environmentally benign energy reactions. His contributions have been recognized through awards such as the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), and he is a Fellow of the American Vacuum Society and a member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering.

Research topics

• Chemical engineering
• Chemistry
• Materials science
• Composite material
• Environmental chemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Thermodynamics
• Organic chemistry
• Physical chemistry

Selected publications

• Self-Assembled H2NC Molecular Lattices as a Platform for Substrate-Tunable Quantum Superlattices

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-03-15

  preprintOpen access

  Compared to van der Waals moiré systems, molecular assembly has emerged as an exciting alternative platform for superlattice engineering via heterointegration. The electronic properties of the self-assembled square lattice monolayer molecular crystal of metal-free naphthalocyanine (H2Nc), in particular the electronic band dispersion and their tunability by metal substrates, remain less explored. Using density functional theory, supported by angle-resolved photoemission and scanning tunneling microscopy, we compare the electronic structure of a free-standing H2Nc monolayer with that of H2Nc lattice assembled on noble metal substrates. In the freestanding film, we identify both nearly flat, molecule-localized states and more dispersive bands, and we show that each can be compactly described by an anisotropic tight-binding Hamiltonian that yields band-resolved hopping anisotropies. We further reveal wide tunability in the Coulomb interaction and inter-site hopping based on different molecular orbitals. Adsorption on Ag(100) drives strong orbital hybridization, charge transfer, and C2 symmetry breaking, producing partially filled, substrate-mediated dispersive states that metallize the molecular lattice. Orbital analysis identifies C2-even and C2-odd components and maps the spatial pattern of charge redistribution tied to symmetry breaking. Complementary ARPES on H2Nc/Au(111) qualitatively corroborates the predicted dispersion and partial filling. These results clarify how metal substrates convert H2Nc from isolated molecules into a tunable 2D lattice and highlight molecular superlattices as a versatile platform to simulate anisotropic lattice models.

  PublisherDOI

• Self-Assembled H2NC Molecular Lattices as a Platform for Substrate-Tunable Quantum Superlattices

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-03-15

  articleOpen access

  Compared to van der Waals moiré systems, molecular assembly has emerged as an exciting alternative platform for superlattice engineering via heterointegration. The electronic properties of the self-assembled square lattice monolayer molecular crystal of metal-free naphthalocyanine (H2Nc), in particular the electronic band dispersion and their tunability by metal substrates, remain less explored. Using density functional theory, supported by angle-resolved photoemission and scanning tunneling microscopy, we compare the electronic structure of a free-standing H2Nc monolayer with that of H2Nc lattice assembled on noble metal substrates. In the freestanding film, we identify both nearly flat, molecule-localized states and more dispersive bands, and we show that each can be compactly described by an anisotropic tight-binding Hamiltonian that yields band-resolved hopping anisotropies. We further reveal wide tunability in the Coulomb interaction and inter-site hopping based on different molecular orbitals. Adsorption on Ag(100) drives strong orbital hybridization, charge transfer, and C2 symmetry breaking, producing partially filled, substrate-mediated dispersive states that metallize the molecular lattice. Orbital analysis identifies C2-even and C2-odd components and maps the spatial pattern of charge redistribution tied to symmetry breaking. Complementary ARPES on H2Nc/Au(111) qualitatively corroborates the predicted dispersion and partial filling. These results clarify how metal substrates convert H2Nc from isolated molecules into a tunable 2D lattice and highlight molecular superlattices as a versatile platform to simulate anisotropic lattice models.

  PublisherOA PDF

• In Memory of Gabor Somorjai (1935–2025)

  Catalysis Letters · 2025-11-16

  articleOpen access1st author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effect of <i>tert</i>-Butyl Substitution on the Interactions of Cobalt Phthalocyanine with a Carbon Monoxide-Functionalized Tip

  The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters · 2025-04-04

  articleOpen access

  Supported cobalt phthalocyanines (CoPc) are promising catalysts for CO2 reduction, a critical process for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Enhancing the catalytic performance of CoPc involves modifying the interaction between the cobalt center and intermediate species. This study focuses on the effects of tert-butyl substitution on CoPc using (tert-butyl)4CoPc, where the substitution can both directly alter the molecule’s intramolecular electronic structure and indirectly alter it by the bulky group weakening the interaction with the support. Toward this end, we investigated the structural and chemical properties of (tert-butyl)4CoPc on a Ag(111) surface at the single-molecule level using three-dimensional atomic force microscopy (AFM) with a CO-terminated tip and discussed them in comparison with data for unmodified CoPc and amino-substituted CoPc. Notably, distance-dependent force measurements revealed anomalies in the tert-butyl groups’ force curves, attributed to their rotational flexibility. The tert-butyl (t-butyl) groups were also observed to increase the attraction of the central Co atom to CO, but this effect was attributed largely to enhanced interactions of the back of the tip with the peripheral t-butyl groups. While this longer-range interaction would not be expected to impact the interaction of small molecules with the catalytic center, the results reveal the ability of AFM to characterize longer range environmental interactions that can enhance adsorption and subsequent reactions of larger molecules, as well as the role side chains that offer configurational adaptability may play in these interactions.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Career in Catalysis: Raymond J. Gorte

  ACS Catalysis · 2024-08-13 · 3 citations

  article

  Ray Gorte has made major contributions to catalysis science and engineering in several fields throughout his more than 40 years career spanning surface science, solid acids, fuel cells and electrolyzers, encapsulated catalysts, biomass conversion, and atomic layer deposition catalysts. The desire for practical engineering advances achieved using fundamental science principles has been the focus of Ray’s distinguished career that led to important discoveries in all the areas that he has worked in. The direct and sincere feedback that Ray provided throughout his career to students, collaborators, and colleagues has made him an invaluable and impactful mentor, collaborator, and contributor to many projects and elevated him to one of the leading figures in catalysis. Here, we review some of the most relevant accomplishments from Ray’s career, celebrating his illustrious contributions to several catalysis fields and his efforts within centers and initiatives to advance fundamental knowledge and practical aspects of catalysis research in many of the fields that he had an impact on.

  PublisherDOI

• How Precisely Can Individual Molecules Be Analyzed? A Case Study on Locally Quantifying Forces and Energies Using Scanning Probe Microscopy

  ACS Nano · 2024-01-24 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  Recent advances in scanning probe microscopy methodology have enabled the measurement of tip–sample interactions with picometer accuracy in all three spatial dimensions, thereby providing a detailed site-specific and distance-dependent picture of the related properties. This paper explores the degree of detail and accuracy that can be achieved in locally quantifying probe–molecule interaction forces and energies for adsorbed molecules. Toward this end, cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc), a promising CO2 reduction catalyst, was studied on Ag(111) as a model system using low-temperature, ultrahigh vacuum noncontact atomic force microscopy. Data were recorded as a function of distance from the surface, from which detailed three-dimensional maps of the molecule’s interaction with the tip for normal and lateral forces as well as the tip–molecule interaction potential were constructed. The data were collected with a CO molecule at the tip apex, which enabled a detailed visualization of the atomic structure. Determination of the tip–substrate interaction as a function of distance allowed isolation of the molecule–tip interactions; when analyzing these in terms of a Lennard–Jones-type potential, the atomically resolved equilibrium interaction energies between the CO tethered to the tip and the CoPc molecule could be recovered. Interaction energies peaked at less than 160 meV, indicating a physisorption interaction. As expected, the interaction was weakest at the aromatic hydrogens around the periphery of the molecule and strongest surrounding the metal center. The interaction, however, did not peak directly above the Co atom but rather in pockets surrounding it.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Cr silicate as a prototype for engineering magnetic phases in air-stable two-dimensional transition-metal silicates

  2D Materials · 2023-08-16 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Abstract Identifying environmentally inert, ferromagnetic two-dimensional (2D) materials with high Curie temperatures ( T c ) down to the single layer limit has been an obstacle to fundamental studies of 2D magnetism and application of 2D heterostructures to spin-polarized devices. To address this challenge, the growth, structure and magnetic properties of a 2D Cr-silicate single layer on Pt(111) was investigated experimentally and theoretically. The layer was grown by sequentially depositing SiO and Cr followed by annealing in O 2 . Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), and low energy electron microscopy all indicated a well-ordered layer that uniformly covered the surface, with STM and LEED indicating that the silicate relaxed to its favored lattice constant. Further experimental characterizations demonstrated that the Cr was nominally 3+ but with a lower electron density than typical trivalent Cr compounds. Comparison with theory identified a Cr 2 Si 2 O 9 structure that resembles a single layer of a dehydrogenated dioctahedral silicate. Magnetic circular dichroism in x-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed a ferromagnetically ordered state up to at least 80 K. Theoretical analysis revealed that the Cr in a dehydrogenated Cr-silicate/Pt(111) is more oxidized than Cr in freestanding Cr 2 Si 2 O 9 H 4 layers. This greater oxidation was found to enhance ferromagnetic coupling and suggests that the magnetism may be tuned by doping. The 2D Cr-silicate is the first member of a broad series of possible layered first-row transition metal silicates with magnetic order; thus, this paper introduces a new platform for investigating 2D ferromagnetism and the development of magnetoelectronic and spintronic devices by stacking 2D atomic layers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Atomic Layer Deposition Brings Applications of Two-Dimensional Silica to the Fore

  Catalysis Letters · 2023-08-16 · 6 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Energy harvesting using two-dimensional (2D) d-silicates from abundant natural minerals

  Journal of Materials Chemistry C · 2023-01-01 · 18 citations

  article

  This paper demonstrates the exfoliation of naturally occurring silicates into two-dimensional structures. Moving the d-silicate device repeatedly in a vertical direction causes it to react robotically and generate up to ∼400 mV of voltage.

  PublisherDOI

• Scalable production of single 2D van der Waals layers through atomic layer deposition: Bilayer silica on metal foils and films

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2022-01-12

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  The self-limiting nature of atomic layer deposition (ALD) makes it an appealing option for growing single layers of two-dimensional van der Waals (2D-VDW) materials. In this paper it is demonstrated that a single layer of a 2D-VDW form of SiO2 can be grown by ALD on Au and Pd polycrystalline foils and epitaxial films. The silica was deposited by two cycles of bis (diethylamino) silane and oxygen plasma exposure at 525 K. Initial deposition produced a three-dimensionally disordered silica layer; however, subsequent annealing above 950 K drove a structural rearrangement resulting in 2D-VDW; this annealing could be performed at ambient pressure. Surface spectra recorded after annealing indicated that the two ALD cycles yielded close to the silica coverage obtained for 2D-VDW silica prepared by precision SiO deposition in ultra-high vacuum. Analysis of ALD-grown 2D-VDW silica on a Pd(111) film revealed the co-existence of amorphous and incommensurate crystalline 2D phases. In contrast, ALD growth on Au(111) films produced predominantly the amorphous phase while SiO deposition in UHV led to only the crystalline phase, suggesting that the choice of Si source can enable phase control.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Manipulating Surface Chemistry Via the Ferroelectric Effect

  NSF · $380k · 2004–2008

• Adsorption and Reaction at Ferroelectric Surfaces: Chemical Switches and Switchable Chemistry

  NSF · $388k · 2008–2012

• Tuning Surface Chemistry through Polarization

  NSF · $390k · 2012–2016

• Control and Design of Two Dimensional Silica Structures

  NSF · $475k · 2015–2019

Frequent coauthors

• Udo D. Schwarz

  Yale University

  131 shared

• Sohrab Ismail‐Beigi

  Yale University

  72 shared

• Omur E. Dagdeviren

  Université du Québec à Montréal

  69 shared

• F. J. Walker

  Yale University

  66 shared

• Charles Ahn

  Yale University

  57 shared

• Todd C. Schwendemann

  Southern Connecticut State University

  51 shared

• Chao Zhou

  Jilin University

  50 shared

• Mehmet Z. Baykara

  49 shared

Awards & honors

• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers…
• Fellow of the American Vacuum Society
• Member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering