Adsorption and stability of malonic acid on rutile TiO2 (110), studied by near edge X-ray absorption fine structure and photoelectron spectroscopy

The adsorption of malonic acid on rutile TiO2 (110) has been studied using photoelectron spectroscopy and C K-edge, near edge X-ray fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS). Analysis of the O 1s and Ti 2p spectra suggest that the molecule adsorbs dissociatively in a doubly-bidentate adsorption geometry as malonate. The data are unable to distinguish between a chelating bonding mode with the backbone of the molecule lying along the [001] azimuth or a bridging geometry along the direction. Work carried out on a wiggler beamline suggests that the molecule is unstable under irradiation by high-flux synchrotron radiation from this type of insertion device.