Response of a model of CO oxidation with CO desorption and diffusion to a periodic external CO pressure

We present a study of the dynamical behavior of a Ziff-Gulari-Barshad model with CO desorption and lateral diffusion. Depending on the values of the desorption and diffusion parameters, the system presents a discontinuous phase transition between low and high CO coverage phases. We calculate several points on the coexistence curve between these phases. Inclusion of the diffusion term produces a significant increase in the CO2 production rate. We further applied a square-wave periodic pressure variation of the partial CO pressure with parameters that can be tuned to modify the catalytic activity. Contrary to the diffusion-free case, this driven system does not present a further enhancement of the catalytic activity, beyond the increase induced by the diffusion under constant CO pressure. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.