Symmetry-breaking and percolation transitions in a surface reaction model with superlattice ordering

A symmetry-breaking order-disorder transition of the Ising type is found in a nonequilibrium surface reaction model for CO oxidation incorporating superlattice ordering of adsorbed oxygen. We relate this transition to the percolation of superlattice domains of oxygen, and discuss the consequences for chemical diffusion of coadsorbed CO. The latter constitutes a new type of problem involving transport in disordered media.