Reactivity of anatase TiO ₂ nanoparticles: The role of the minority (001) surface

Methanol adsorption on clean and hydrated anatase TiO ₂(001)-1 × 1 is studied using density functional theory calculations and first principles molecular dynamics simulations. It is found that (i) dissociative adsorption is favored on clean TiO ₂(001) at both low and high methanol coverages; (ii) on the partially hydrated surface, methanol dissociation is not affected by the coadsorbed water and can still occur very easily; (iii) the dissociative adsorption energy of methanol is always larger than that of water under similar conditions. This implies that water replacement by methanol is energetically favored, in agreement with recent experimental observations on colloidal anatase nanoparticles.