Visualizing H2O molecules reacting at TiO2 active sites with transmission electron microscopy

Wentao Yuan; Beien Zhu; Xiao-Yan Li; Thomas W Hansen; Yang Ou; Ke Fang; Hangsheng Yang; Ze Zhang; Jakob B Wagner; Yi Gao; Yong Wang

doi:10.1126/science.aay2474

Visualizing H₂O molecules reacting at TiO₂ active sites with transmission electron microscopy

Science. 2020 Jan 24;367(6476):428-430. doi: 10.1126/science.aay2474.

Authors

Wentao Yuan^#¹, Beien Zhu^#^{2

3}, Xiao-Yan Li^#^{2

4}, Thomas W Hansen⁵, Yang Ou¹, Ke Fang¹, Hangsheng Yang¹, Ze Zhang⁶, Jakob B Wagner⁷, Yi Gao^{8

3}, Yong Wang⁶

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials and Center of Electron Microscopy, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027 China.
² Division of Interfacial Water and Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800 China.
³ Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210 China.
⁴ University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China.
⁵ DTU Nanolab, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials and Center of Electron Microscopy, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027 China. yongwang@zju.edu.cn gaoyi@zjlab.org.cn jakob.wagner@cen.dtu.dk zezhang@zju.edu.cn.
⁷ DTU Nanolab, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark. yongwang@zju.edu.cn gaoyi@zjlab.org.cn jakob.wagner@cen.dtu.dk zezhang@zju.edu.cn.
⁸ Division of Interfacial Water and Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800 China. yongwang@zju.edu.cn gaoyi@zjlab.org.cn jakob.wagner@cen.dtu.dk zezhang@zju.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 31974251
DOI: 10.1126/science.aay2474

Abstract

Imaging a reaction taking place at the molecular level could provide direct information for understanding the catalytic reaction mechanism. We used in situ environmental transmission electron microscopy and a nanocrystalline anatase titanium dioxide (001) surface with (1 × 4) reconstruction as a catalyst, which provided highly ordered four-coordinated titanium "active rows" to realize real-time monitoring of water molecules dissociating and reacting on the catalyst surface. The twin-protrusion configuration of adsorbed water was observed. During the water-gas shift reaction, dynamic changes in these structures were visualized on these active rows at the molecular level.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't