Electron collisions with nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃) molecules

Absolute total cross sections (TCS’s) for 0.5–370-eV electrons scattered by nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃) molecules have been measured using a linear transmission method under single collision conditions. It was found that the TCS energy function for NF₃ is dominated with two pronounced enhancements: one resonantlike centered between 2 and 3 eV with the maximum value of 28×10⁻²⁰ m² followed with a minimum at around 7–12 eV(∼17×10⁻²⁰ m²), and the second much broader enhancement located around 40 eV (19×10⁻²⁰ m² in the maximum). The low-energy enhancement is superimposed with some weak features located near 1.8, 2.2, and 2.8 eV. The integral elastic cross section has been calculated at intermediate energies using an independent atom method with a static plus polarization model potential. The cross section for ionization has been computed as well using the binary-encounter-Bethe approach. The sum of calculated cross sections reasonably reproduces the intermediate-energy experimental TCS, with respect to the shape and value. The TCS for NF₃ is also compared with the TCS for ammonia (NH₃) which was supplementary measured and the effect of substitution of fluorine atoms for hydrogen (perfluorination effect) is demonstrated and discussed.