Electron Energy Loss Processes in Methyl Methacrylate: Excitation and Bond Breaking

0570792 - ÚFCH JH 2024 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Luxford, Thomas Frederick Murray - Fedor, Juraj - Kočišek, Jaroslav
Electron Energy Loss Processes in Methyl Methacrylate: Excitation and Bond Breaking.
Journal of Physical Chemistry A. Roč. 127, č. 12 (2023), s. 2731-2741. ISSN 1089-5639. E-ISSN 1520-5215
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT EF16_026/0008382; GA ČR(CZ) GX21-26601X
Grant - others:Ministerstvo školství, mládeže a tělovýchovy - GA MŠk(CZ) CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_026/0008382
Institutional support: RVO:61388955
Keywords : Anions * Cluster chemistry * Electrical energy
OECD category: Physical chemistry
Impact factor: 2.9, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access

Details of electron-induced chemistry of methyl methacrylate (MMA) upon complexation are revealed by combining gas-phase 2D electron energy loss spectroscopy with electron attachment spectroscopy of isolated MMA and its clusters. We show that even though isolated MMA does not form stable parent anions, it efficiently thermalizes the incident electrons via intramolecular vibrational redistribution, leading to autodetachment of slow electrons. This autodetachment channel is reduced in clusters due to intermolecular energy transfer and stabilization of parent molecular anions. Bond breaking via dissociative electron attachment leads to an extensive range of anion products. The dominant OCH3- channel is accessible via core-excited resonances with threshold above 5 eV, despite the estimated thermodynamic threshold below 3 eV. This changes in clusters, where MnOCH3- anions are observed in a lower-lying resonance due to neutral dissociation of the 1(n, π*) state and electron self-scavenging. The present findings have implications for electron-induced chemistry in lithography with poly(methyl methacrylate).
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0342130