AUTHOR=Suhasaria Tushar , Mennella Vito TITLE=Catalytic Role of Refractory Interstellar Grain Analogs on H2 Formation JOURNAL=Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences VOLUME=8 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/astronomy-and-space-sciences/articles/10.3389/fspas.2021.655883 DOI=10.3389/fspas.2021.655883 ISSN=2296-987X ABSTRACT=

Refractory dust grains have an important role to play in the chemistry of star and planet-forming regions. Their surfaces interact with interstellar gas and act as a catalyst for the formation of simple and complex molecules in space. Several mechanisms have been invoked to explain how molecular hydrogen is formed in reactions on dust grain surfaces in different regions of space. In this article, we give an overview of our understanding of the laboratory experiments, conducted over the last 20 years, that deal with H2 formation on interstellar grain analogs in space simulated conditions.