No Dissociation of Li_nC₆₀⁺ for n>1

Formation with Constant Ion Number

The formation of Li_nC₆₀⁺ clusters from Li_n-1C₆₀⁺ (n>1) proceeds via the capture of a Li atom without significant dissociation. Each point in the figure corresponds to the total number of ions formed by the exposure of LiC₆₀⁺ clusters to Li for a given time. These sums are independent of the exposure time. This behavior is also observed for Li_nC₆₀⁺ n>1.  However, this is not observed in the formation of LiC₆₀⁺ clusters from C₆₀⁺. This is probably explained by lower ionization potentials of Li_nC₆₀⁺ compared to that of C₆₀⁺ (7.6 eV) which results in less energy transferred to vibrational modes.