Experimental evidence of dynamic trapping in the scattering of H2 from Pd(110)

J Chem Phys. 2006 Aug 7;125(5):051101. doi: 10.1063/1.2229203.

Abstract

We have performed H2(D2) diffraction experiments on a Pd(110) surface using two different high-sensitivity set-ups. We have found that, although the total reflectivity of Pd(110) is comparable to that observed in other reactive systems, the corresponding H2(D2) diffraction patterns are quite different: no diffraction peak, including the specular one, is observed on Pd(110). This unexpected result is the consequence of dynamic trapping. Such interpretation is supported by classical dynamics calculations based on accurate ab initio potential energy surfaces.