Infrared spectroscopy of water clusters co-adsorbed with hydrogen molecules on a sodium chloride film

Hydrogen gas containing a trace of water vapor was dosed on a vacuum-evaporated sodium chloride film at 13 K, and water clusters formed on the substrate were investigated by infrared absorption spectroscopy. Absorption bands due to (H2O)n clusters with n = 3-6 and an induced absorption band due to hydrogen were clearly observed. With increasing gas dosage, the intensities of the cluster bands increased linearly while the intensity of the hydrogen band was constant. This suggests that the water clusters were formed in two-dimensional matrices of hydrogen. We found that the water clusters did exist on the surface upon heating even after the hydrogen molecules had desorbed. A further rise of the substrate temperature up to 27 K yielded the formation of larger clusters, (H2O)n with n>6. We also discuss the origins of the two bands of the trimer in terms of pseudorotation and a metastable isomer.

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