Stability of Negative Ions near the Surface of a Solid
D. I. Zhukhovitskiia,*, W. F. Schmidtb , and E. Illenbergerb
aJoint
Institute for High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Izhorskaya ul.
13/19, Moscow, 125412 Russia
bInstitut für
Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Freie Universität Berlin D-14195,
Berlin, Germany
Abstract—Stationary states
of molecular negative ions (anions) near the surface of a solid are investigated. The
lone electron is assumed to interact with a diatomic
molecule and the surface of the solid. The energies of elec-
tron levels are
determined by solving the 2D Schrödinger equation. It is shown that its stable
solutions exist at
distances from the surface greater than some critical
distance, otherwise the electron is detached from the anion.
In the case of
attraction between the electron and the solid, the interaction potential between
the anion and the
solid appears to have the Lennard–Jones form and the ion
is separated from the surface by some equilibrium
distance.