Abstract
Molecular-dynamics simulations of a cluster impacting a hard surface show that, initially, the cluster is rapidly compressed and translationally heated. During this short but distinct stage, the cluster is a suitable medium for chemistry: the number of layers of the cluster is not changing; the constituents of the cluster can collide several times and both bimolecular and collisionally driven unimolecular reactions can occur. Hypersonic velocities of impact are needed for a considerable temperature rise. Following compression, the cluster fragments by expanding into a hemispheroidal plume. For supersonic impact, the cluster expands nearer to the surface forming an oblate, omelet-like, hemispheroid.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 395-402 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Chemical Physics Letters |
| Volume | 354 |
| Issue number | 5-6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 18 Mar 2002 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:First and foremost we are grateful to Prof. J. Kommandeur for his pioneering experiments, for his interest, for his comments in Amsterdam and for his comments on the present manuscript. We thank Profs. U. Even, K.L. Kompa, T. Kondow and Drs. W. Christen and H. Schroeder for many discussions of cluster impact chemistry. RDL thanks the Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen for the invitation to lecture, an occasion that gave rise to many stimulating comments, one of which has led to this Letter. The work on chemistry under extreme conditions is supported by the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and by the Humboldt Foundation.
Funding
First and foremost we are grateful to Prof. J. Kommandeur for his pioneering experiments, for his interest, for his comments in Amsterdam and for his comments on the present manuscript. We thank Profs. U. Even, K.L. Kompa, T. Kondow and Drs. W. Christen and H. Schroeder for many discussions of cluster impact chemistry. RDL thanks the Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen for the invitation to lecture, an occasion that gave rise to many stimulating comments, one of which has led to this Letter. The work on chemistry under extreme conditions is supported by the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and by the Humboldt Foundation.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Air Force Office of Scientific Research | |
| Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung |