Role of orientational forces in nonactivated molecular dissociation on a metal surface

BUSNENGO, H.F.; CRESPOS, C.; DONG, W.; SALIN, A.; RAYEZ, J.C.

PHYSICAL REVIEW B - CONDENSED MATTER AND MATERIALS PHYSICS

Año: 2001 vol. 63 p. 41402 - 41405

0163-1829

Starting from a six-dimensional study of the dissociative adsorption process of H2 on Pd(111), we show that orientational forces in the approach toward the surface determine the dissociation probability. We conclude that the nonmonotonous variation of the transition probability with energy observed in the experiments can beinterpreted essentially with a two-dimensional mechanism involving only molecular translation and rotation.