Calculation of two-dimensional potential energy surfaces of CO on a rutile(110) surface: ground and excited states

Abstract

Being one of the most important catalytically active metal oxide surfaces, the aim of this study was the description of the laser-induced photodesorption of the CO adsorbate from a TiO2(110) surface. As a first step, this paper presents two-dimensional potential energy surfaces of a CO molecule on a rutile TiO2(110) surface. Focussing on the desorption mechanism taking place in this adsorbate–substrate system, the quantum chemical and quantum dynamical calculations regarding the desorption coordinate Z and the polar angle θ allowed a first insight into the mechanistic processes in the CO–TiO2(110) system which are relevant for laser-induced photodesorption. For the electronic ground state X1A1 the adsorption minimum was found for the polar angle θ = 0°, which corresponds to a linear coordination of the CO adsorbate with the carbon atom down to the substrate surface. This is in contrast to the electronically excited state A3B2, where the adsorption minimum was found for the polar angle θ = 180°, which describes a linear coordination with the oxygen atom of the CO molecule on top of the rutile TiO2(110) surface. Moreover, this paper shows exemplary quantum dynamical calculations which simulate the laser-induced photodesorption as a first step to understand the desorption process in detail. Hence, higher dimensional calculations regarding more than 2 degrees of freedom of the CO molecule on the substrate surface are needed to get a complete description of this complex adsorbate–substrate system.