Application of hyperthermal alignment controlled O2 beam and atomic oxygen beam to surface reaction analysis

Abstract

Abstract Use of atomic/molecular beams with well-defined kinetic energy and internal states allows us to investigate details about the elementary processes of gas-surface interactions. O2 is involved in many technologically important processes while the fact that it is a linear molecule with an electron spin needs to be considered for understanding the microscopic details of the O2-surface interaction. A spin-rotational state-selected O2 beam allows us to clarify how the molecular alignment and spin affect the O2-surface interaction. Its recent applications to the analysis of O2 adsorption and catalytic CO oxidation on flat and stepped Pt surfaces are shown. We have also developed an apparatus that allows us to put a radical beam onto a surface and monitor the change in the surface chemical states with metastable deexcitation spectroscopy. The apparatus and its application to the analysis of CO oxidation by atomic oxygen on Pt(111) are also presented.