Interaction of Hydrogen on a Lanthanum hexaboride 111 Surface

In order to sustain society's current level of energy consumption and prevent irreversible climate degradation due to the greenhouse effect an alternative energy carrier is required. The aim of this experiment was to determine the conditions under which a lanthanum hexaboride (LaB 6 ) surface would form boron-hydrogen (B-H) bonds when exposed to hydrogen. Reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) was used to confirm formation of bonds and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED) were used to characterize the surface. Upon completion of the experiment no B-H bonds were found to form under the conditions tested. However, it is believed that the bond formation may have been impeded by tungsten contamination of the surface or may have been due to the instability of the B-H bond. A lower temperature could be required for their formation.