Accounting for scale in catalysis
Monday, March 14, 2011 - 09:01
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- Depicting a catalyst's behavior in the real world just got a lot easier, thanks to scientists in the Institute for Interfacial Catalysis (IIC) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. They used complex calculations to describe the surface temperature of a reaction based on the thickness of the catalyst, the heat transferred in the reaction, and the transport of the reactant. Their research provides an accurate and reliable computational model of conditions found in the real world. These multi-scale simulations can predict the limitations imposed by environmental variables in real-world situations, improving catalysts for many important practical applications.