Dynamics of catalytic ammonia oxidation over Rh(111) surfaces

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Ronald Imbihl
• Subject Area: Physical Chemistry of Solids and Surfaces, Material Characterisation
• Term: from 2013 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 235516480

• Final Report Year: 2016

Final Report Abstract

The NH3 + O2 and the O2 + H2 reaction on Rh catalysts are technologically important reactions playing a role in environmental catalysis as well as in industrial NO production. We studied the kinetics and the dynamics of these reactions on Rh(11) and Rh(110) single crystal surfaces employing PEEM and LEEM as spatially resolving methods. A number of novel phenomena were discovered such a traveling interface modulations, history dependent front anisotropy and island formation involving primary and secondary reaction fronts. Explaining these phenomena will deepen our level of understanding of basic heterogeneously catalyzed reactions what can potentially lead to the design of catalysts based on new principles.

Publications

• Excitability in the O2 + H2 reaction on a Rh(110) surface induced by high coverages of coadsorbed potassium, J. Chem. Phys. 141 (2014) 214707
  Matias Rafti, Ronald Imbihl
  (See online at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4903187)
• Traveling interface modulations and anisotropic front propagation in ammonia oxidation over Rh(110). The J. Chem. Phys. 143 (2015) 184701
  Matias Rafti, Benjamin Borkenhagen, Gerhard Lilienkamp, Florian Lovis, Tim Smolinsky, and Ronald Imbihl
  (See online at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4935274)
• Kinetics of low pressure ammonia oxidation over Rh(111). Latin American Applied Research, 48:27-30 (2018)
  Ulises N. Fagioli, Bernhard von Boehn, Matias Rafti, Ronald Imbihl