The Surface Science Approach for Understanding Reactions on Oxide Powders: The Importance of IR Spectroscopy

Abstract

Chemistry at defects: The concentration of defect sites at rutile TiO2 (r-TiO2) surfaces of both single crystals and powder particles was determined by UHV-FTIR spectroscopy using CO as a probe molecule (see picture). The potential of this novel approach is demonstrated by unraveling the mechanism of reductive coupling of formaldehyde to give ethylene.