Electron induced elastic and inelastic processes for perfluoroketone (PFK) molecules

Abstract We report the results of calculations of elastic and inelastic (ionization and excitation) cross sections for electron scattering from perfluoroketone molecules, C x F 2 x O ( x = 1–6) over a wide energy range, from ∼the ionization potential to 5 keV. These molecules have been determined to have extremely low global warming potentials and therefore may have applications in next generation gas discharges and plasma reactors. The results are derived using the complex scattering potential-ionization contribution method to investigate ionization cross sections Q ION and are found to be in good agreement with the available data. The spherical complex optical potential formalism is used to evaluate elastic ( Q EL ), inelastic ( Q INEL ) and total cross sections ( Q T ). This study is a maiden effort to report summed total excitation cross section (∑ Q EXC ), Q ION and Q INEL for CF 2 O and C 2 F 4 O, and Q EL and Q T for C x F 2 x O ( x = 1–6). The study includes various correlation analyses and a prediction of the dipole polarizability.