Quartz micro-balance and in situ XPS study of the adsorption and decomposition of ammonia on gold, tungsten, boron, beryllium and stainless steel surfaces
Ben Yaala, M. and Marot, L. and Steiner, R. and Moser, L . and De Temmerman, G. and Porosnicu, C. and Lungu, C.P. and Oberkofler, M. and Meyer, E. (2018) Quartz micro-balance and in situ XPS study of the adsorption and decomposition of ammonia on gold, tungsten, boron, beryllium and stainless steel surfaces. Nuclear Fusion, 58 (10). 106012. ISSN 0029-5515 (https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/aad483)
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Abstract
Gas seeding is often used in tokamaks to reduce the power load onto the divertor target plates. Nitrogen is the preferred seeding species because of its favourable radiative properties as well as its apparent beneficial effect on plasma confinement. However, nitrogen molecules are chemically reactive with hydrogen and its isotopes to form stable ammonia compounds. Since ammonia is a polar molecule, sticking on metal surfaces can be expected, increasing as a consequence the tritium retention which could pose a serious risk for ITER operation and maintenance. It is, therefore, important to understand the adsorption mechanism of ammonia on surfaces, investigate when the surface saturation occurs and whether ammonia adsorbs as a molecule or undergoes a dissociation on the surface. In this contribution, ammonia sticking on different fusion-relevant materials is presented. The results show a pressure-dependent ammonia sticking on tungsten, boron and stainless steel followed by a partial desorption from these surfaces while on gold and beryllium, ammonia molecules weakly adsorb and completely desorb. A detailed explanation of the two interaction mechanisms is addressed. Furthermore, the time dependence of ammonia desorption as well as the chemical state of non-desorbed residuals were investigated with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Tungsten, boron and stainless steel surfaces showed a continuous dissociation process from NH3 to NH2, NH, N and surface nitrides.
ORCID iDs
Ben Yaala, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6754-0875, Marot, L., Steiner, R., Moser, L ., De Temmerman, G., Porosnicu, C., Lungu, C.P., Oberkofler, M. and Meyer, E.;-
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Item type: Article ID code: 84525 Dates: DateEvent1 August 2018Published19 July 2018AcceptedSubjects: Science > Physics > Nuclear and particle physics. Atomic energy. Radioactivity Department: Faculty of Engineering > Biomedical Engineering Depositing user: Pure Administrator Date deposited: 03 Mar 2023 09:33 Last modified: 04 Nov 2024 01:52 URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/84525