Surface Chemistry and Photochemistry of Cyclohexane on Rutile TiO₂(110)

Cyclohexane is a high-valued chemical receiving significant interest in liquid hydrogen storage technology. TiO₂-based catalysts show high performance in the photocatalytic dehydrogenation of cyclohexane under mild conditions, but the detailed reaction mechanism is not well understood. With the surface science approaches, we have studied the adsorption and surface chemistry of cyclohexane on rutile TiO₂(110). The thermal desorption spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results both demonstrate the molecular adsorption of cyclohexane on rutile TiO₂(110). Upon the UV Hg light irradiation, photodesorption of cyclohexane occurs from both the chemisorbed monolayer and the multilayer. No decomposition nor dehydrogenation of cyclohexane occurs on rutile TiO₂(110). These results deepen the fundamental understanding of the surface chemistry of cyclohexane on the TiO₂ surface.