EPJD Topical Issue : Exploring dissociative electron attachment: Insights from the 4th DEA Club Meeting (2024)

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Published on 16 April 2026

Guest Editors: João Ameixa, Juraj Fedor, Ilko Bald, Nigel Mason, Sylwia Ptasinska

The Topical Issue "Exploring Dissociative Electron Attachment: Insights from the 4th DEA Club Meeting", highlights recent contributions by the dissociative electron attachment (DEA) community, which were conceived in close connection with the 4th DEA Club Meeting held in June 2024 in Potsdam, Germany.

The DEA Club meetings provide a platform where experimentalists and theoreticians working on low-energy electron processes can exchange ideas and explore the latest developments in electron-molecule research, with a particular emphasis on DEA. DEA is a fundamental process in low-energy electron-matter interactions, governing selective bond cleavage and driving chemical change across a wide range of physical, chemical and biological systems. Recent advances in experimental and theoretical methodologies have extended DEA research from isolated gas-phase molecules to complex environments such as interfaces, condensed phases, and technologically relevant materials. The contributions presented in this Topical Issue are characterized by an interplay between theory and experiment, methodological innovation, and increasing focus on realistic environments. Starting from fundamental studies how electrons propagate and interact with matter at very small length scales to generate highly focused beams suited for advanced electron lithography, the Topical Issue also discusses electron-initiated chemistry at the ambient water-air interface relevant for atmospheric chemistry and environmental remediation. Additionally, DEA studies are presented focusing on molecules of astrochemical, environmental and pharmacological relevance. Such DEA studies bridge gas-phase electron–molecule physics with questions of drug stability and electron-induced chemistry in biological or clinical contexts and provide stringent benchmark for advanced electronic-structure and scattering calculations. Together, the articles address fundamental DEA mechanisms in molecular systems, electron-initiated chemistry at interfaces, and advances in electron-beam control and instrumentation, providing a snapshot of current directions and emerging challenges in DEA research.

All articles are available here and are freely accessible until 27 May 2026. For further information read the Editorial.