Résumé : Mesoscopic Modeling of Chemical Surface Reactions

Reactions such as those encountered in heterogeneous catalysis form a specific class of non-equilibrium, nonlinear systems: they take place on low-dimensional supports, the surfaces, exhibiting a particularly restricted geometry. Because of this geometrical restriction, fluctuation-induced nanometric self-organization can spontaneously arise and can lead to a compartmentalization of the reactants and the products. We use mesoscopic stochastic simulations and theoretical approaches to model the dynamics at these scales and to understand the connection between the microscopic details of the processes and the macroscopic rate laws for concentrations. In particular, we study the propagation of waves, the emergence of coherent oscillatory and explosive behaviors and apply these techniques for the modeling of experimental systems such as the H2+O2/Rh reaction with co-adsorbed potassium or the NO+H2 reaction on platinum.