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Updated: Aug 10, 2025

Selective Area Modification of Silicon Surface Wettability by Pulsed UV Laser Irradiation in Liquid Environment
Published on: November 9, 2015
Chemical Reactivity of Strongly Interacting, Hydrogen-Bond-Forming Molecules Following 193 nm Photon Irradiation:
Michelle Sykes Akerman1, Hiley Iny1, Roey Sagi1
1Institute of Chemistry, Edmund J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
Abstract:
Mixtures of methanol and amorphous solid water (ASW) ices are observed in the interstellar medium (ISM), where they are subject to irradiation by UV photons and bombardment by charged particles. The charged particles, if at high enough density, induce a local electric field in the ice film that potentially affects the photochemistry of these ices. When CD3OD@ASW ices grown at 38 K on a Ru(0001) substrate are irradiated by 193 nm (6.4 eV) photons, products such as HD, D2, CO, and CO2 are formed in large abundances relative to the initial amount of CD3OD. Other molecules such as D2O, CD4, acetaldehyde, and ethanol and/or dimethyl ether are also observed, but in smaller relative abundances. The reactivity cross sections range from (2.6 ± 0.3) × 10-21 to (3.8 ± 0.3) × 10-25 cm2/photon. The main products are formed through two competing mechanisms: direct photodissociation of methanol and water and dissociative electron attachment (DEA) by photoelectrons ejected from the Ru(0001) substrate. An electric field of 2 × 108 V/m generated within the ASW film during Ne+ ions bombardment is apparently not strong enough to affect the relative abundances (selectivity) of the photochemical products observed in this study.
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