Microjets and coated wheels: versatile tools for exploring collisions and reactions at gas–liquid interfaces

Abstract

This tutorial review describes experimental aspects of two techniques for investigating collisions and reactions at the surfaces of liquids in vacuum. These gas–liquid scattering experiments provide insights into the dynamics of interfacial processes while minimizing interference from vapor-phase collisions. We begin with a historical survey and then compare attributes of the microjet and coated-wheel techniques, developed by Manfred Faubel and John Fenn, respectively, for studies of high- and low-vapor pressure liquids in vacuum. Our objective is to highlight the strengths and shortcomings of each technique and summarize lessons we have learned in using them for scattering and evaporation experiments. We conclude by describing recent microjet studies of energy transfer between O₂ and liquid hydrocarbons, HCl dissociation in salty water, and super-Maxwellian helium evaporation.