Theory of the Kinetics of Chemical Potentials in Heterogeneous Catalysis

Abstract

Catalysis is of paramount importance in our daily life. In particular, heterogeneous catalysts which speed up reactions on their solid surfaces play a vital role in a wide range of industries, such as petroleum, energy, and environment-related industries. There is no doubt that rational design of new catalysts is a major endeavor in chemistry. A key to achieve this goal is reaction kinetics, bridging the gap between microscopic elementary chemical reactions and macroscopic performance of catalysts. Although great progress in understanding reaction kinetics has been made, rational design of new catalysts remains one of the profound challenges. Here, we present a new formulism of reaction kinetics at surfaces in terms of the involved chemical potentials, which simplifies the reaction kinetics significantly. Furthermore, within this formulism we propose a new approach of searching for new catalysts. The effectiveness and universality of this theory are discussed.