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Title: Weak interactions between water and clathrate-forming gases at low pressures

Journal Article · · Surface Science
; ; ; ;

Using scanning probe microscopy and temperature programed desorption we examined the interaction between water and two common clathrate-forming gases, methane and isobutane, at low temperature and low pressure. Water co-deposited with up to 10-1 mbar methane or 10-5 mbar isobutane at 140 K onto a Pt(111) substrate yielded pure crystalline ice, i.e., the exposure to up to ~107 gas molecules for each deposited water molecule did not have any detectable effect on the growing films. Exposing metastable, less than 2 molecular layers thick, water films to 10-5 mbar methane does not alter their morphology, suggesting that the presence of the Pt(111) surface is not a strong driver for hydrate formation. This weak water-gas interaction at low pressures is supported by our thermal desorption measurements from amorphous solid water and crystalline ice where 1 ML of methane desorbs near ~43 K and isobutane desorbs near ~100 K. Similar desorption temperatures were observed for desorption from amorphous solid water.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab. (EMSL)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1243275
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-110418; 48154; KC0301050
Journal Information:
Surface Science, Vol. 641; ISSN 0039-6028
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (3)

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Cometary ices in forming protoplanetary disc midplanes text January 2016

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Related Subjects

Clathrates
Water
Methane
Isobutane
STM
TPD
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory