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Updated: Dec 30, 2025

Probing the Structure and Dynamics of Interfacial Water with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy
Published on: May 27, 2018
Visualizing H2O molecules reacting at TiO2 active sites with transmission electron microscopy
Wentao Yuan1, Beien Zhu2,3, Xiao-Yan Li2,4
1State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials and Center of Electron Microscopy, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027 China.
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.
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