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Published on: April 11, 2014
Enhancement of surface activity in CO oxidation on Pt(110) through spatiotemporal laser actuation
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
Abstract:
We explore the effect of spatiotemporally varying substrate temperature profiles on the dynamics and the resulting reaction rate enhancement of the catalytic oxidation of CO on Pt(110). The catalytic surface is "addressed" by a focused laser beam whose motion is computer controlled. The averaged reaction rate is observed to undergo a characteristic maximum as a function of the speed of this moving laser spot. Experiments as well as modeling are used to explore and rationalize the existence of such an optimal laser speed.

