Molecular Beam Scattering from Flat Liquid Jets

A molecular beam scattering apparatus that utilizes a flat liquid jet allows us to experimentally probe the scattering dynamics of molecular beams from the surface of flat, microscopically thin jets of volatile liquid, and in turn, the highly chemically relevant gas-liquid interface. The scattered species are analyzed by a rotatable mass spectrometer which provides mass, energetic, and angular selectivity. The capacity to rotate both the flat liquid jet and detector allows us to sample a large range of incident and outgoing angles.

We have studied the evaporation and scattering of Ne, CD4, ND3, and D2O from a dodecane jet, extracting relevant information on energetic distributions at various deflection angles. Through kinematic models, we extract information on effective surface mass and internal excitation. 

The dynamics of reactive scattering events are at the forefront of our interests, which has led us to our current work focusing on more volatile solutions. Most recently, we have scattered He, Ne, CD4, and ND3 from an 8 molal LiBr(aq) (cold salty water) jet. At present, we are performing Ar evaporation and scattering experiments on cold salty water and looking toward CO2 scattering from monoethanolamine-doped solutions. In the future, we will aim to perform Cl2, O3, N2O5, and SO3 scattering from cold salty water to provide more insight into atmospherically-relevant chemistry.