A photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) study of the effect of surface acoustic waves on catalytic CO oxidation over Pt{110}

A photoemission electron microscope (PEEM) was used to study the influence of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) on the reactive behaviour of adsorbate structures during CO oxidation over Pt{110} at temperatures around 485 K and CO and O2 pressures around 10−5 and 10−4 mbar, respectively. It was found that surface acoustic wave excitation can suppress and reverse the process of CO poisoning of the catalyst, and thus bring the system back into the highly reactive regime. From work function measurements of the CO-covered surface during acoustic excitation it is concluded that the observed effect is due to acoustically induced CO desorption.