Special Chemical Properties of RuOx Nanowires in RuOx/TiO2(110): Dissociation of Water and Hydrogen Production
Recently, there has been a strong interest in understanding the role of mixed-metal oxides in catalysts used for the production of hydrogen through the splitting of water. Here, we investigate the structural and chemical properties of RuO{sub x}/TiO{sub 2}(110) surfaces employing scanning tunneling microscopy, photoemission, and density functional calculations. Ruthenium oxide forms unique wirelike structures on top of TiO{sub 2}(110) which are very reactive toward water dissociation, being able to cleave O-H bonds at a temperature as low as 200 K. The calculated barrier for the dissociation of water on RuO{sub 2} nanowires is <0.05 eV. The presence of easily formable O vacancies in the ruthenium oxide nanowires facilitates the dissociation of water. Furthermore, RuO{sub x}/TiO{sub 2} (110) surfaces are able to catalyze the production of hydrogen through the water-gas shift reaction (H{sub 2}O + CO {yields} H{sub 2} + CO{sub 2}), exhibiting an activity that compares well with the activity found for extended surfaces of copper typically used as benchmarks for studying this reaction.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE SC OFFICE OF SCIENCE (SC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC02-98CH10886
- OSTI ID:
- 1044035
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-96921-2012-JA; R&D Project: CO-027; KC0302010; TRN: US201214%%288
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Physical Chemistry C, Vol. 116, Issue 7; ISSN 1932-7447
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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