Orbital Hybridization-Driven Stabilization and Reactivity on an Asymmetrically Reconstructed Polar CeO2(100) Surface

Abstract

Understanding and controlling the atomic structure of polar oxide surfaces is essential for unraveling surface reactivilty and designing advanced catalytic materials. Among these, the polar CeO2(100) surface is a prototypical and industrially important system in heterogeneous catalysis. However, due to the vast complexity of the surface configurations, its reconstruction behavior remains an open question. Here, we report a previously unidentified asymmetric (1x2) reconstructed structure on the CeO2(100) surface, discovered through an integrated approach that combines global structure search algorithms, machine learning-based atomic potential models, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and in situ scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The reconstructed surface is both thermodynamically and kinetically stable, characterized by an alternating arrangement of Ce3+ and Ce4+ ions, increased interlayer spacing, and reconfigured surface oxygen atoms. Importantly, the formation of localized Ce3+ polarons introduces occupied 4f states that strongly hybridize with surface O 2p orbitals, resulting in new occupied electronic states below the Fermi level. This orbital hybridization activates the O 2p states, enhances their electron-donating capacity, and facilitates the dissociation of adsorbed molecules such as H2O. These findings reveal a fundamental orbital-mediated mechanism by which surface reconstruction governs electronic structure and reactivity, offering critical insights and a new design strategy for tuning catalytic performance on polar oxide surfaces.