Abstract
Interactions of molecular water with two lunar regolith surrogates (micronized JSC‐1A and albite) were examined using temperature program desorption (TPD) and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy. TPD revealed water desorption during initial heating to 750 K under ultrahigh vacuum and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy indicated possible water formation via recombinative desorption of native hydroxyls above 425 ± 25 K. Dissociative chemisorption of water (i.e., formation of surface hydroxyl sites) was not observed on laboratory time scales after controlled dosing of samples (initially heated above 750 K) with 0.2–500 L exposures of water. However, preheated samples of both types of surrogates were found to have a distribution of molecular water chemisorption sites, with albite having at least twice as many as the JSC‐1A samples by mass. A fit to the TPD data yields a distribution function of desorption activation energies ranging from ~ 0.45 to 1.2 eV. Using the fitted distribution function as an initial condition, the TPD process was simulated on the time scale of a lunation.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
