Spectroscopic characterization of catalytically active surface sites of a metallic oxide

High-resolution core-level photoelectron spectroscopy in combination with density functional theory calculations was used to identify the spectroscopic signatures of the catalytically active sites on the RuO2(110) surface, i.e., the coordinatively unsaturated Ru sites (cus-Ru) and the bridging oxygen atoms. These assignments provide the necessary spectroscopic information for in situ studies of catalytical reactions over the RuO2(110) surface. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.