  Transition metal oxides such as vanadium dioxide (VO$_2$), niobium dioxide
(NbO$_2$), and titanium sesquioxide (Ti$_2$O$_3$) are known to undergo a
temperature-dependent metal-insulator transition (MIT) in conjunction with a
structural transition within their bulk. However, it is not typically discussed
how breaking crystal symmetry via surface termination affects the complicated
MIT physics. Using synchrotron-based x-ray spectroscopy, low energy electron
diffraction (LEED), low energy electron microscopy (LEEM), transmission
electron microscopy (TEM), and several other experimental techniques, we show
that suppression of the bulk structural transition is a common feature at
VO$_2$ surfaces. Our density functional theory (DFT) calculations further
suggest that this is due to inherent reconstructions necessary to stabilize the
surface, which deviate the electronic structure away from the bulk d$^1$
configuration. Our findings have broader ramifications not only for the
characterization of other "Mott-like" MITs, but also for any potential device
applications of such materials.
