Catalysis at Surfaces: From Atoms to Complexity
Presenter: Gerhard Ertl
Published: July 2014
Age: 18-22 and upwards
Views: 1683 views
Tags: catalysis;surface;concentration;organisation
Type: Lectures
Source/institution: Lindau-Nobel
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Catalysis by solid surfaces is, among others, of importance for the chemical industry (e.g. the Haber-Bosch process) as well as for environmental chemistry (car exhaust catalyst). Surface physical techniques enable investigation of the underlying elementary processes on atomic scale, as will be exemplified mainly by carbon monoxide oxidation. Under certain steady-state conditions such an open system may exhibit characteristic phenomena of complexity such as the formation of spatio-temporal concentration patterns which may be considered as models for self-organisation in various other areas of nature.
