Study of SF6 adsorption on graphite using infrared spectroscopy

Abstract

We report an experimental study of adsorbed monolayers of SF6 on graphite using infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy supplemented by ellipsometry. The asymmetric S-F stretch mode v3 near 948 cm-1 in the gas is strongly blueshifted in the film by dynamic dipole coupling. This blueshift is very sensitive to the intermolecular spacing in the SF6 layer. We convert the measured frequency v3 to a lattice spacing a, using a self-consistent field calculation, calibrated by the frequency in the commensurate phase. The resolution in lattice spacing is 0.002 Å, although there is a larger systematic uncertainty associated with nondynamic-dipole contributions to the frequency shift. We map the commensurate-incommensurate transition, a transition between two incommensurate phases, and the melting transition. These results are compared to previous x-ray data. We provide a new determination of the layer critical point (156 K), the layer condensation line down to 110 K, and the spreading pressure at saturation in this temperature range. © 2009 American Institute of Physics.