Education
- BA Mod, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, 1987
- MS, Cornell University, 1990
- PhD, Cornell University, 1994
Biography
Stephen FitzGerald started his physics training in Ireland, obtaining a bachelor’s degree at Trinity College Dublin. He received a PhD at Cornell University and caught the teaching bug during a one-year position at Colgate University. His preparation for Oberlin was rounded out by a postdoctorate at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
FitzGerald was one of six faculty members to receive the college’s prestigious Excellence in Teaching Award for 2015–16.
Student Coauthors
Honors Students
- Infrared spectroscopy of trapped hydrogen molecules
- Inelastic spectroscopy of Fullerenes (Buckyballs)
Oberlin Papers
- Temperature-Programmed Desorption for Isotope Separation in Nanoporous Materials:
J. Chem. Phys. C DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b11048 (2018) . - Hydrogen Uptake on Coordinatively Unsaturated Metal Sites in VSB-5: Strong Binding Affinity Leading to High-Temperature D2/H2 Selectivity:
Langmuir 33, 14586, (2017) . - Explaining the symmetry breaking observed in the endofullerenes H2@C60, HF@C60, and H2O@C60:
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 19, 31274, (2017) . - Olsalazine-Based Metal−Organic Frameworks as Biocompatible Platforms for H2 Adsorption and Drug Delivery:
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 138, 10143, (2016) . - Orientational ortho-H2 pair interactions in the microporous framework MOF-5:
Phys. Rev. B 92, 134304 (2015) . - High surface area and Z’ in a thermally stable 8-fold polycatenated hydrogen-bonded framework:
Chem. Commun. (2015) . - Insights into the anomalous vibrational frequency shifts of CO2 adsorbed to metal sites in microporous frameworks:
J. Phys. Chem. C 119, 5293 (2015) . - Infrared overtone spectroscopy of adsorbed hydrogen in MOF-5:
J. Mol. Spec. 307, 20, (2015) . - M2(m-dobdc) (M = Mg, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) Metal-Organic Frameworks Exhibiting Increased Charge Density and Enhanced H2 Binding at the Open Metal Sites:
J. Am. Chem. Soc.136, 12129, (2014) . - H2 in solid C60: Coupled translation-rotation eigenstates in the octahedral interstitial site from quantum five-dimensional calculations:
J. Chem. Phys. 138, 244707 (2013) . - Highly selective quantum sieving of D2 from H2 by a metal-organic framework as determined by infrared spectroscopy:
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 135, 458 (2013) . - Metal-specific interactions of H2 adsorbed within isostructural metal-organic frameworks:
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 133, 20310 (2011) . - Neutron scattering and spectroscopic studies of hydrogen adsorption in Cr3(BTC)2 – A metal-organic framework with exposed Cr2+ sites:
J. Phys. Chem. C 115, 8414- 8421 (2011) . - Quantum dynamics of adsorbed normal- and para-H2, HD, and D2 in the microporous framework MOF-74 analyzed using diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy:
Phys. Rev. B. 81, 104305 (2010) . - Quantum dynamics of adsorbed H2 in the microporous framework MOF-5 analyzed using diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy:
Phys. Rev. B. 77, 24301 (2008) . - Cryogenic apparatus for diffuse reflection infrared spectroscopy with high-pressure capabilities:
Rev. Sci. Inst. 77, 093110 (2006) . - Low-temperature infrared spectroscopy of H2 in solid C60:
Phys.Rev. B 73, 155409 (2006) . - Kinetics of H2 desorption from crystalline C60:
Phys. Rev. B 71, 045415 (2005) . - Adsorption of CF4 on the internal and external surfaces of open single-wall carbon nanotubes. A vibrational spectroscopy study:
J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 125, 5889 (2003) . - Induced infrared absorption of molecular hydrogen in solid C60:
Phys. Rev. B 65, 140302 (2002) . - Quantum dynamics of interstitial H2 in solid C60:
Phys. Rev. B 60, 6439 (1999) .
- American Chemical Society Conference, San Diego, March 2016:
Site Selective Spectroscopy: Interactions of Adsorbed H2 in MOFs - American Crystallographic Association Conference, Pennsylvania, July 2015:
Metal Bonded Organic Frameworks, Hydrogen Bonded Frameworks, and Jesse Rowsell - Telluride Research Conference, Metal-Organic Frameworks: Experiments and Simulation, June 2015:
Infrared Spectroscopy of H2 in MOFs - Jesse Rowsell Memorial Symposium and Celebration, Oberlin College, April 2015:
MOF-5: There and Back Again - Telluride Research Conference, Spectroscopy and Dynamics of Coupled Anharmonic Vibrations of Floppy Molecular Systems, July 2014:
Overtone Vibrational Spectroscopy and Anharmonic Behavior in Adsorbed Molecular Hydrogen - Gordon Research Conference, Hydrogen-Metal Systems, Il Ciocco, Italy, July 2013:
Investigating Adsorbed Molecular Hydrogen with Infrared Spectroscopy - Materials Research Society Conference, Salt Lake City, April 2012:
Metal-Specific Interactions of H2 in an Isostructural MOF Series
Professor of Physics Stephen FitzGerald in spring 2017 was awarded a three-year, $310,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to support his project entitled "RUI: Probing adsorbate interactions in metal-organic frameworks using site selective spectroscopy."
This research examines hydrogen storage for fuel-cell applications and isotope separation for chemical labeling, medical tracing, and heavy water moderators. The grant provides funds for ongoing student participation and the acquisition of a specialized mass-spectrometer.
Notes
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Stephen FitzGerald Publishes Paper
January 6, 2020Professor of Physics Stephen FitzGerald published the paper "Hydrogen Isotope Separation within the Metal−Organic FrameworkCu(I)-MFU‑4l" in the Journal of Physical Chemistry. The paper included work from three Oberlin students' honors projects.
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Stephen FitzGerald Serves on Panel
February 12, 2019Professor of Physics Stephen FitzGerald served on an international panel in Leipzig, Germany to review hydrogen isotope initiative.
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Stephen FitzGerald Co-Authors Paper
January 17, 2019Stephen FitzGerald, professor of physics, co-authored a paper in Chemistry of Materials. Read the press release about the paper.
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Stephen FitzGerald Presents Seminar
November 12, 2018Professor of Physics Stephen FitzGerald presented a seminar titled "Hydrogen Isotope Separation Using Metal-Organic Frameworks" at the University of California Berkeley.
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Stephen FitzGerald Awarded Grant
March 2, 2017Professor of Physics Stephen FitzGerald was awarded a three-year, $310,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to support his project entitled "RUI: Probing adsorbate interactions in metal-organic frameworks using site selective spectroscopy." This research examines hydrogen storage for fuel-cell applications and isotope separation for chemical labeling, medical tracing, and heavy water moderators. The grant provides funds for on-going student participation and the acquisition of a specialized mass-spectrometer.
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Stephen FitzGerald Publishes
November 11, 2015Professor of Physics Stephen FitzGerald published the paper "Orientational ortho-H2 pair interactions in the microporous framework MOF-5” in the international journal Physical Review B. The paper was co-authored by Christopher Eckdahl '17, Cooper McDonald '15, Jocienne Nelson '14, Kai Shinbrough '17, Holden Lai '15, and the late Assistant Professor of Chemistry Jesse Rowsell.