Search for oscillations in the translational energy dependence of the dissociation of H2 on Pd(100)

✍ Scribed by C.T. Rettner; D.J. Auerbach

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 409 KB
• Volume: 253
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-2614
• DOI: 10.1016/0009-2614(96)00253-9

✦ Synopsis

Recent calculations of the variation of the probability of dissociative chemisorption, S o, of H 2 on Pd(100) and on W(100) predict distinct oscillations in this probability with increasing translational energy, Ei, at low energy. We have searched for these oscillations in the H2/Pd(100) system using a novel molecular beam scattering method. No oscillations could be found. We find that S O falls monotonically with increasing E i up to ~ 0.1 eV. Any deviations from this monotonic fall represent changes in S O of < 1% and < 3% for H2(J = l, v = 0) and H2(J = 0, v = 0), respectively, at a surface temperature of 80 K. We discuss the possibility that surface motion is responsible for averaging away structure in S O versus E i.