Surface structure and catalytic CO oxidation oscillations

A cellular automation model is used to describe the dynamics of the catalytic oxidation of CO on a Pt(1 0 0) surface. The cellular automation rules account for the structural phase transformations of the Pt substrate, the reaction kinetics of the adsorbed phase and diffusion of adsorbed species. The model is used to explore the spatial structure that underlies the global oscillations observed in some parameter regimes. The spatiotemporal dynamics varies significantly within the oscillatory regime and depends on the harmonic or relaxational character of the global oscillations. Diffusion of adsorbed CO plays an important role in the synchronization of the patterns on the substrate and this effect is also studied.