SURFACE PATTERNS IN CATALYTIC CARBON MONOXIDE OXIDATION REACTION

The mechanism of spatio-temporal pattern formation at the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide on the Pt(110) surface has been studied. The surface may contain structurally different areas, which are formed in the course of the CO-induced transition from the reconstructed 1x2 phase to the 1x1 (bulk) one. Temporal and spatial instabilities in the system are analyzed, by using the methods of the linear theory of stability and numerical simulations. Fragments of spatio-temporal structures of the oxygen coverage together with fragments of the surface 1 x 1 structure are shown to emerge on the inhomogeneous surface at certain system parameters. The distribution of the carbon monoxide coverage is found to be almost homogeneous in space and independent of the surface geometry.