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Theoretical Studies of Kinetic Processes in Nanoscale Ice Films


EMSL Project ID
1341a

Abstract

We will study the sticking probability of a water molecule on the basal plane of hexagonal ice using experiments and theory. The molecular sticking will be studied over a wide range in energy (0.5 eV - 1.5 eV) and incident collision angle. The adsorption of molecules on the surfaces of solids is an important step in many processes, in particular crystal growth and catalysis. A molecule that collides with a surface of a crystal can get trapped if it looses enough of its kinetic energy to vibrational modes in the lattice and thereby becomes attached to the surface. If the energy transfer is not fast enough, the molecule is reflected back into the gas phase. The probability that the molecule gets attached to the surface, the sticking probability S, is an important parameter in the modeling of various surface phenomena. An important example is the modeling of polar stratospheric clouds where the predicted formation temperature, size and lifetime of ice particles is strongly sensitive to the value assumed for the sticking probability of water molecules on ice surfaces.

Project Details

Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2003-01-16
End Date
2006-01-22
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Hannes Jonsson
Institution
University of Iceland

Team Members

Zdenek Dohnalek
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Bruce Kay
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

R. Smith
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Related Publications

Batista E, P Ayotte, A Bilic, BD Kay, and H Jonsson. 2005. "What Determines the Sticking Probability of Water Molecules on Ice?." Physical Review Letters.