Physisorption of CO2 on non-ice materials relevant to icy satellites

CO2 is known to adsorb onto clay and other minerals when a significant atmospheric pressure is present. We have found that CO2 can also adsorb onto some clays when the CO2 partial pressure is effectively zero under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) if cooled to the surface temperatures of the icy satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. The strength of adsorption and the spectral characteristics of the adsorbed CO2 infrared (IR) ν 3 absorption band near 4.25 μm depend on the composition and temperature of the adsorbent. CO2 remains adsorbed onto the clay mineral montmorillonite for > 10  s of min when exposed to a vacuum of ∼ 1 × 10 −8  Torr at ∼ 125  K . CO2 does not adsorb onto serpentine, goethite, or palagonite under these conditions. A small amount may adsorb onto kaolinite. When heated above 150 K under vacuum, the CO2 desorbs from the montmorillonite within a few minutes. The ν 3 absorption band of CO2 adsorbed onto montmorillonite at 125 K is similar to that of the CO2 detected on the saturnian and Galilean satellites and is markedly different from CO2 adsorbed onto montmorillonite at room temperature. We infer the adsorption process is physisorption and postulate that this mechanism may explain the presence and spectral characteristics of the CO2 detected in the surfaces of these outer satellites.