Abstract
The interaction of oxides with water plays a critical role in understanding the surface functionality for environmental, geological, and technological applications (1, 2). Oxides are important geological constituents of rocks and soils, impact the quality of natural drinking water (3), and are used heavily in a wide range of industrial applications, including gas sensing (4) and separation (5), photoelectrochemistry (6), and electrocatalysis (7, 8). Performance in many applications is influenced by the oxide’s affinity towards hydroxylation and the coverage of surface adsorbates (9, 10), which can lead to a change in its reactivity and adsorptive properties (11, 12). The subsequent wetting of materials, either by thin water films in ambient air or liquid water in an aqueous environment, also plays an important role in many properties of the surface, such as electrical and ionic conductivity (13). Consequently, the surface reactivity and chemical changes upon wetting of oxide surfaces in humid environments is key to a more fundamental understanding of oxides for environmental and technological applications.