Oxygen vacancy mediated adsorption and reactions of molecular oxygen on the TiO₂(110) surface

Using first-principles density-functional calculations we have studied the interactions of molecular oxygen with a partially reduced rutile TiO₂ (110) surface. In agreement with experiments, a number of different O₂ adsorption states, both molecular and dissociated, have been found. The kinetic barriers for conversion between these states have also been calculated. Based on these results, we analyze the mechanism of oxygen vacancy diffusion, recently observed by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), and suggest a pathway which does not imply the high oxygen adatom reactivity assumed in the original model.