Dynamics on Microcomposite Catalytic Surfaces: The Effect of Active Boundaries

We report experimental and theoretical studies of reaction dynamics on $\mathrm{Pt}/\mathrm{Rh}$ and $\mathrm{Pt}/\mathrm{TiO}{}_2$ microcomposite catalytic surfaces. Both steady and dynamic behaviors are dominated by reaction fronts initiated at the interface between different catalytic components. Our analysis links the bifurcation behavior of reactive composites with active boundaries to this transient phenomenon of front initiation.