The Role of Interstitial Sites in the Ti <i>3d</i> Defect State in the Band Gap of Titania

Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) has a number of uses in catalysis, photochemistry, and sensing that are linked to the reducibility of the oxide. Usually, bridging oxygen (O br ) vacancies are assumed to cause the Ti 3d defect state in the band gap of rutile TiO 2 (110). From high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, we propose that Ti interstitials in the near-surface region may be largely responsible for the defect state in the band gap. We argue that these donor-specific sites play a key role in and may dictate the ensuing surface chemistry, such as providing the electronic charge required for O 2 adsorption and dissociation. Specifically, we identified a second O 2 dissociation channel that occurs within the Ti troughs in addition to the O 2 dissociation channel in O br vacancies. Comprehensive density functional theory calculations support these experimental observations.