Surface reconstruction in reactive dynamics: A kinetic Monte Carlo approach

The oscillatory CO oxidation reaction on the restructuring surface of Pt(1 0 0) is studied through a mesoscopic kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) approach. The present model is an extension of the standard ZGB model with specific attention to the emergence of oscillations in surface reactions. A square and a purely hexagonal lattice are used as substrates on which the CO oxidation reaction steps take place. The dynamics of the reaction on the two substrates exhibit the ZGB kinetic phase transitions, at different kinetic parameter values for each substrate. Surface reconstruction is modelled through switching between the two lattice types. Oscillations are produced in those parametric areas where the steady state concentrations on the two substrates are considerably different. The parametric area where notable oscillations are observed is narrow, but is greatly enhanced when different sticking coefficients of oxygen are taken into account. CO diffusion introduced microscopically to the model on the hexagonal lattice shifts the kinetic transition points and increases considerably the time needed to reach the steady state.