Steps on anatase TiO2(101)

Surface defects strongly influence the surface chemistry of metal oxides, and a detailed picture of defect structures may help to understand reactivity and overall materials performance in many applications. We report first-principles calculations of step edges, the most common intrinsic defects on surfaces ( and probably the predominant ones on nanoparticles). We have determined the structure, energetics, and chemistry of step edges on the ( 101) surface of TiO2 anatase, an important photocatalytic material. Scanning tunnelling microscopy measurements of step-edge configurations and the contrast in atomically resolved images agree remarkably well with the theoretical predictions. Step-edge formation energies as well as the adsorption energies of water scale with the surface energy of the step facet, a trend that is expected to generally hold for metal oxide surfaces. Depending on the terrace/step configuration, this can lead to a situation where a step is less reactive than the. at terrace.