Catalysis at Surfaces: From Atoms to Complexity

Presenter: Gerhard Ertl

Published: July 2015

Age: 18-22 and upwards

Views: 1447 views

Tags: self-organisation;surface;catalysis;complexity

Type: Lectures

Source/institution: Lindau-Nobel

This lecture addresses the question if spatio-temporal self-organisation of matter which is so characteristic for living systems can also be verified with a simple inorganic reaction in which the observed phenomena of complexity can be traced back to properties oft the atoms and described by simple physical laws. This is illustrated with experiments with the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide on a platinum surface.