Imaging Adsorbate O−H Bond Cleavage:  Methanol on TiO2(110)

• Published in: Journal of the American Chemical Society Vol. 128; no. 13; pp. 4198 - 4199
• Main Authors: Zhang, Zhenrong, Bondarchuk, Oleksandr, White, J. M, Kay, Bruce D, Dohnálek, Zdenek
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 05.04.2006
• Subjects: 10 SYNTHETIC FUELS; ADSORPTION; Adsorption and desorption kinetics; evaporation and condensation; CLEAVAGE; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; DISSOCIATION; Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory; Exact sciences and technology; METHANOL; OXYGEN; Physics; SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY; Solid-fluid interfaces; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); VACANCIES; Organic adsorbate; Transition elements Compounds; Chemical dissociation; Inorganic adsorbent; Experimental study; Surface structure; Titanium oxides; Gas solid adsorption; Scanning tunneling microscopy; Gas solid interface; Adsorption structure; Crystal faces; Methanol
• ISSN: 0002-7863; 1520-5126
• DOI: 10.1021/ja058466a

We investigated methanol adsorption and dissociation on bridge-bonded oxygen vacancies of the TiO2(110)-(1×1) surface using in situ scanning tunneling microscopy. We provide the first direct evidence that methanol dissociates on oxygen vacancies via O−H bond scission rather than C−O scission. For CH3OH coverages lower than the oxygen vacancy concentration, stationary methoxy−hydroxyl pairs form. At CH3OH coverages close to the oxygen vacancy concentration undissociated mobile CH3OH interacts with methoxy−hydroxyl pairs and facilitates the movement of hydroxyl away from the methoxy group.