Chemical reactions on metal oxide surfaces investigated by vibrational spectroscopy

The most successful method to unravel the microscopic mechanisms governing reactions in heterogeneous catalysis is the “surface science” approach which is based on well-controlled studies on model catalysts (usually single crystal surfaces) under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions [G. Ertl, Angew. Chem. 47 (2008) 3524]. In this review our recent vibrational spectroscopic studies on selected model reactions at various single-crystalline metal oxide surfaces are summarized. Two vibrational spectroscopic methods, high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIRS), were applied to characterize the adsorbed species and to elucidate the elementary processes of chemical reactions at oxide surfaces ranging from well-defined single crystals to modified surfaces with deliberately introduced defects. The combination of both methods allows us to extend the vibrational spectroscopic studies from ideal to complex systems.