Cross sections for electron scattering by methanol in the intermediate-energy range

We present an experimental study on electron scattering by methanol (CH₃OH). More specifically, differential, integral, and momentum-transfer cross sections for elastic electron scattering in the 100- to 1000-eV energy range are reported. Experimentally, angular distributions of the energy-selected electrons are measured and converted to absolute cross sections using the relative-flow technique. Relative-flow rates measured using the method of pressure decrease are applied for this purpose. The influence of the adsorption-desorption of methanol vapor on the surfaces inside of the gas-handling manifold is also studied. The possibility of dimerization of methanol at low pressures is investigated and disregarded based on the experimental evidence and also on a molecular-dynamics-simulation study. Electron-methanol collision cross sections are also calculated using the independent-atom model at the static-exchange-polarization and static-exchange-polarization-absorption levels of approximation. The comparison of our measured results of cross sections with other experimental and theoretical data available in the literature and with the present calculated data is encouraging.