Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of surface reactions on supported nanoparticles: A novel approach and computer code.

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So far most kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) simulations of heterogeneously catalyzed gas phase reactions were limited to flat crystal surfaces. The newly developed program MoCKA (Monte Carlo Karlsruhe) combines graph-theoretical and lattice-based principles to be able to efficiently handle multiple lattices with a large number of sites, which account for different facets of the catalytic nanoparticle and the support material, and pursues a general approach, which is not restricted to a specific surface or reaction. The implementation uses the efficient variable step size method and applies a fast update algorithm for its process list. It is shown that the analysis of communication between facets and of (reverse) spillover effects is possible by rewinding the kMC simulation. Hence, this approach offers a wide range of new applications for kMC simulations in heterogeneous catalysis.