Interaction of H2 with Si(001)-(2 x 1): solution of the barrier puzzle.
The sticking probability of H2 on Si(001) is immeasurably small at room temperature, indicating the presence of a large energy barrier to adsorption. Surprisingly, the final state energy distributions of H2 molecules desorbing from Si(001) show no signs of having traversed such a barrier, in apparent contradiction with microscopic reversibility. Here we report experimental and theoretical evidence resolving this long-standing puzzle. Adsorption and desorption proceeding along two distinct, microscopically reversible pathways can explain all observations.
Zimmermann
F M
FM
Department of Physics and Laboratory for Surface Modification, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA.
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