Search

We measure the isothermal crystallization kinetics of amorphous acetonitrile films using molecular beam dosing and reflection adsorption infrared spectroscopy techniques. Experiments on a graphene covered Pt(111) substrate revealed that the crystallization rate slows dramatically during long time periods and that the overall kinetics cannot be described by a simple application of the Avrami equation. The crystallization kinetics also have a thickness dependence with the thinner films crystallizing much slower than the thicker ones. Additional experiments showed that decane layers at both the substrate and vacuum interfaces can also affect the crystallization rates. A comparison of the crystallization rates for CH3CN and CD3CN films showed only an isotope effect of ∼1.09. When amorphous films were deposited on a crystalline film, the crystalline layer did not act as a template for the formation of a crystalline growth front. These overall results suggest that the crystallization kinetics are complicated, indicating the possibility of multiple nucleation and growth mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular beam techniques are used to create layered nanoscale composite films of amorphous methanol and ethanol at 20 K. The films are then heated, and temperature programed desorption and infrared spectroscopy are used to observe the mixing, desorption, and crystallization behavior from the initially unmixed amorphous layers. We find that the initially unmixed amorphous layers completely intermix to form a deeply supercooled liquid solution after heating above Tg. Modeling of the desorption kinetics shows that the supercooled liquid films behave as ideal solutions. The desorption rates from the supercooled and crystalline phases are then used to derive the binary solid-liquid phase diagram. Deviations from ideal solution desorption behavior are observed when the metastable supercooled solution remains for longer times in regions of the phase diagram when thermodynamically favored crystallization occurs. In those cases, the finite lifetime of the metastable solutions results in the precipitation of crystalline solids. Finally, in very thick films at temperatures and compositions where a stable liquid should exist, we unexpectedly observe deviations from ideal solution behavior. Visual inspection of the sample indicates that these apparent departures from ideality arise from dewetting of the liquid film from the substrate. We conclude that compositionally tailored nanoscale amorphous films provide a useful means for preparing and examining deeply supercooled solutions in metastable regions of the phase diagram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption and desorption kinetics of N2 on porous amorphous solid water (ASW) films were studied using molecular beam techniques, temperature programed desorption (TPD), and reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy. The ASW films were grown on Pt(111) at 23 K by ballistic deposition from a collimated H2O beam at various incident angles to control the film porosity. The experimental results show that the N2 condensation coefficient is essentially unity until near saturation, independent of the ASW film thickness indicating that N2 transport within the porous films is rapid. The TPD results show that the desorption of a fixed dose of N2 shifts to higher temperature with ASW film thickness. Kinetic analysis of the TPD spectra shows that a film thickness rescaling of the coverage-dependent activation energy curve results in a single master curve. Simulation of the TPD spectra using this master curve results in a quantitative fit to the experiments over a wide range of ASW thicknesses (up to 1000 layers, ∼0.5 μm). The success of the rescaling model indicates that N2 transport within the porous film is rapid enough to maintain a uniform distribution throughout the film on a time scale faster than desorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption, desorption, and diffusion kinetics of N2 on thick (up to ∼9 μm) porous films of amorphous solid water (ASW) films were studied using molecular beam techniques and temperature programmed desorption. Porous ASW films were grown on Pt(111) at low temperature (<30 K) from a collimated H2O beam at glancing incident angles. In thin films (<1 μm), the desorption kinetics are well described by a model that assumes rapid and uniform N2 distribution throughout the film. In thicker films (>1 μm), N2 adsorption at 27 K results in a nonuniform distribution, where most of N2 is trapped in the outer region of the film. Redistribution of N2 can be induced by thermal annealing. The apparent activation energy for this process is ∼7 kJ/mol, which is approximately half of the desorption activation energy at the corresponding coverage. Preadsorption of Kr preferentially adsorbs onto the highest energy binding sites, thereby preventing N2 from trapping in the outer region of the film which facilitates N2 transport deeper into the porous film. Despite the onset of limited diffusion, the adsorption kinetics are efficient, precursor mediated, and independent of film thickness. An adsorption mechanism is proposed, in which a high-coverage N2 front propagates into a pore by the rapid transport of physisorbed second layer N2 species on top of the first surface bound layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular beam techniques are used to grow water films on Pt(111) with incident collision energies from 5 to 205 kJ/mole. The effect of the incident collision energy on the phase of vapor deposited water films and their subsequent crystallization kinetics are studied using temperature programed desorption and infrared spectroscopy. We find that for films deposited at substrate temperatures below 110 K, the incident kinetic energy (up to 205 kJ/mole) has no effect on the initial phase of the deposited film or its crystallization kinetics. Above 110 K, the substrate temperature does affect the phase and crystallization kinetics of the deposited films but this result is also independent of the incident collision energy. The presence of a crystalline ice template (underlayer) does affect the crystallization of amorphous solid water, but this effect is also independent of the incident beam energy. These results suggest that the crystallization of amorphous solid water requires cooperative motion of several water molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quantum-resolved molecular beam–surface scattering study of HCl scattered from Au(111) is described. The HCl is detected in a quantum-resolved manner via (2+1) resonant enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI). Greater than 85% of the incident HCl molecules are in a single-quantum state (v=0, J=0) with a narrow velocity distribution (Δυ/υ<0.10). The scattered HCl is strongly peaked about the specular angle, and both its final velocity and rotational distributions are indicative of direct inelastic scattering. The scattered rotational distributions exhibit features characteristic of rotational rainbows and have a mean rotational energy that displays a bilinear dependence upon the incident normal kinetic energy and surface temperature. The final velocity distributions are largely insensitive to the rotational level and indicate that the energy loss to phonons is small (<20%). Analysis of the scattered data indicates an orientation-averaged attractive well depth of ∼5 kcal/mol for the HCl–Au(111) interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum-resolved molecular beam–surface scattering from clean and hydrogen covered Pd(111) is shown to be a sensitive dynamical probe of changes in the gas–surface interaction potential brought about by the presence of chemisorbed surface hydrogen. In particular, the specular scattering of N2 from hydrogen covered Pd(111) is appreciably less inelastic rotationally than scattering from the clean surface. The specularly scattered rotationally elastic channel is utilized as a nonperturbative probe of the surface chemisorbed hydrogen coverage during a temperature programmed desorption (TPD) experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption, desorption, and displacementkinetics of H2O and CO2on TiO2(110)are investigatedusing temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and molecular beam techniques.The TPD spectra for both H2O and CO2have well-resolvedpeaks corresponding to desorption from bridge-bonded oxygen (Ob), Ti5c, and defect sites in order of increasingpeak temperature. Analysis of the saturated surface spectrum for bothspecies reveals that the corresponding adsorption energies on allsites are greater for H2O than for CO2. Sequentialdosing of H2O and CO2reveals that, independentof the dose order, H2O molecules will displace CO2in order to occupy the highest energy binding sites available. Isothermalexperiments show that the displacement of CO2by H2O occurs between 75 and 80 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular beams were used to grow amorphous and crystalline H2O films and to dose HCl upon their surface. The adsorption state of HCl on the ice turns was probed with infrared spectroscopy. A Zundel continuum is clearly observed for exposures up to the saturation HCl coverage on ice upon which features centered near 2530, 2120, 1760, and 1220 cm-1 are superimposed. The band centered near 2530 cm-1 is observed only when the HCl adlayer is in direct contact with amorphous solid water or crystalline ice films at temperatures as low as 20 K. The spectral signature of solid HCl (amorphous or crystalline) was identified only after saturation of the adsorption sites in the first layer or when HCl was deposited onto a rare gas spacer layer between the HCl and ice film. These observations strongly support conclusions from recent electron spectroscopy work that reported ionic dissociation of the first layer HCl adsorbed onto the ice surface is spontaneous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) are used to investigate the crystallization kinetics and measure the excess free energy of metastable amorphous solid water films (ASW) of H2O and D2O grown using molecular beams. The desorption rates from the amorphous and crystalline phases of ASW are distinct, and as such, crystallization manifests can be observed in the TPD spectrum. The crystallization kinetics were studied by varying the TPD heating rate from 0.001 to 3 K/s. A coupled desorption-crystallization kinetic model accurately simulates the desorption spectra and accurately predicts the observed temperature shifts in the crystallization. Isothermal crystallization studies using RAIRS are in agreement with the TPD results. Furthermore, highly sensitive measurements of the desorption rates were used to determine the excess free energy of ASW near 150 K. The excess entropy obtained from these data is consistent with there being a thermodynamic continuity between ASW and supercooled liquid water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]