Delay-Induced Chaos in Catalytic Surface Reactions: NO Reduction on Pt(100)

Deterministic chaos has been observed in the $\mathrm{NO}+\mathrm{CO}$ and $\mathrm{NO}+{\mathrm{H}}_2$ reactions on Pt(100). A mathematical model is proposed that explains the origin as being due to delays in the response of a population of reacting adsorbate islands globally coupled via the gas phase. The dynamical equations of this model yield a sequence of period-doubling bifurcations resulting in chaos.