Front initiation on microdesigned composite catalysts

We first briefly review the subject of spatiotemporal pattern formation on microdesigned composite catalysts. One of the most significant interaction mechanisms between different reacting domains (consisting of different metal catalysts such as Pt and Rh, coupled through surface diffusion) is the initiation of reaction fronts at the interface between them. We then explore in some detail the effect of two-dimensional composite geometry on this basic building block of composite catalyst dynamics. (c) 2002 American Institute of Physics.