Nonlinear dynamics on catalytic surfaces: The contribution of surface science

Rate oscillations and chemical wave patterns on catalytic surfaces have been intensely studied in the past two decades. Starting with rate oscillations as an exotic phenomenon and with only a few speculative ideas available about the mechanistic cause today a very high level of detailed mechanistic understanding has been reached and very sophisticated experiments are performed in this area. The development in this field over the past 25 years is reviewed briefly highlighting the contribution of the “single crystal approach” to the progress which has been achieved.