A THEORETICAL MODEL FOR H₂ DISSOCIATIVE ADSORPTION ON Cu SURFACES

A theoretical model for describing H₂ dissociative chemisorption on Cu surfaces is proposed. The sticking probability S is calculated as a function of vibrational state, average kinetic energy and incident angle of hydrogen molecular beam. Within the theoretical frame of this model, the different contributions to S from H₂(\nu = 0) and H₂(\nu = 1) can be clearly distinguished. The calculated results indicate that vibrational energy significantly promotes the chemisorption of H₂ on Cu surfaces in the region of low translational energy. The equations derived can be used to analyze the experimental data for both pure and seeded molecular beams.