MULTISTABILITY AND HYSTERESIS IN A MODEL FOR THE DISSOCIATIVE CHEMISORPTION OF A DIATOMIC GAS ON A METAL-SURFACE

Some aspects of the steady-state behavior of a simple model for the di ssociative chemisorption of a diatomic gas on a metal surface are cons idered. It is shown that within certain ranges of values for the rate parameters, multiple steady states exist for the state variables. As a result, the system exhibits hysteretic behavior when rate parameters are cycled across the region of multistability. These phenomena are a direct result of the highly nonlinear nature of the system's dynamics. What these predictions imply relative to the behavior of real gas/met al systems is also discussed.