The Partial Oxidation of Methanol by Mo03(010) Surfaces with Controlled Defect Distributions

Atomic force microscopy has been used to determine how M0O3(010) surfaces with controlled defect populations evolve during reactions with MeOH/N2 mixtures. The structural evolution of the freshly cleaved surface is compared to surfaces reduced in 10%H 2/N2 at 400 *C. While the freshly cleaved surfaces are flat and nearly ideal, the reduced surfaces contain voids bounded by step loops where Mo atoms in reduced coordination are found. In both cases, reacting the M0O3(010) surface with MeOH/N 2 mixtures between 300 and 400 °C leads to H intercalation and the nucleation of acicular precipitates of HxMoO3. On the freshly cleaved surface, the Hbronze phase precipitates uniformly. On the reduced surface, the precipitates form preferentially at the void edges, where undercoordinated Mo atoms are found.