Transmission Electron Diffraction Studies of Xenon Adsorbed on Graphite.

Available from UMI in association with The British Library. Adsorption studies of xenon on graphite were performed using the Hitachi HU-11B Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). It has been used as a Transmission High Energy Electron Diffraction (THEED) camera. This has been modified to include an Ultra High Vacuum (UHV) environmental chamber. This chamber was isolated from the microscope vacuum by two 400 μm diameter differentially pumped apertures. Pressures of {~}10 ^{-6} torr and {~ }10^{-9} torr were achieved inside the microscope column and the environmental chamber respectively. The chamber was fitted with a new sample holder designed with double "O" rings. The sample was cooled with liquid helium. Previous THEED experiments by Venables et al and Schabes-Retchkiman and Venables revealed the presence of a 2D-solid incommensurate (I)-commensurate (C) phase transition as the temperature is lowered. These results were confirmed and extended in the present work. Hong et al have recently interpreted their X-ray diffraction experiments as showing an incommensurate-striped domain phase transition at {~}65rm K. No evidence was found for the existence of a striped domain structure on any part of the xenon phase diagram studied. Experiments of xenon adsorbed on the basal plane (0001) of graphite were carried out at pressures from {~}1.5 times 10^{-5} torr to {~}1.8 times 10^{-8} torr over a temperature range from 55K^.90K. A set of lattice parameter (misfit) measurements were made as a function of temperature at constant pressure with an accuracy of +/-0.1% rather than +/-0.3% previously obtained. The misfit data was fitted to a power law formula, i.e. misfit m = B_{rm o} (rm T - rm T_{rm o})^{rm A} , where A is a constant and equal to 0.8. It was found that B_{rm o} and T_{rm o} are functions of log(P). The data fell into two groups corresponding to two phase transitions. The same power law was used for both sets of data. Two transitions were found, one is I-C and the other is I to bilayer. A triple point was found between these two transitions which was defined as the coexistence of the I-C and bilayer phases. New bilayer data was found and confirmed the previous Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED) results. Finally, this work was found to be in good agreement with the previous THEED data.