Science Daily February 27, 2023
In compartmentalized nanosystems, the reaction behaviour may deviate from that observed on the macro- or mesoscale. In situ studies of processes in such nanosystems meet severe experimental challenges. An international team of researchers (Austria, Japan) used a rhodium nanocrystal surface consisting of different nm-sized nanofacets as a model of a compartmentalized reaction nanosystem. Using field emission microscopy, different reaction modes were observed, including a transition to spatio-temporal chaos. The transitions between different modes were caused by variations of the hydrogen pressure modifying the strength of diffusive coupling between individual nanofacets. Microkinetic simulations, performed for a network of 52 coupled oscillators, revealed the origins of the different reaction modes. According to the researchers current findings may be relevant for a wide class of reaction systems since diffusive coupling is characteristic for many living and non-living compartmentalized systems…, read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Apex of an ellipsoidal Rh nanocrystal. Credit: Nature Communications volume 14, Article number: 736 (2023)Â