Surface Diffusion - Surface Diffusion and Heterogeneous Catalysis

Surface Diffusion and Heterogeneous Catalysis

Surface diffusion is a critically important concept in heterogeneous catalysis, as reaction rates are often dictated by the ability of reactants to "find" each other at a catalyst surface. With increased temperature adsorbed molecules, molecular fragments, atoms, and clusters tend to have much greater mobility (see equation 1). However, with increased temperature the lifetime of adsorption decreases as the factor k_BT becomes large enough for the adsorbed species to overcome the barrier to desorption, Q (see figure 2). Reaction thermodynamics aside because of the interplay between increased rates of diffusion and decreased lifetime of adsorption, increased temperature may in some cases decrease the overall rate of the reaction.