Control of waves, patterns and turbulence in chemical systems

Abstract

We review experimental and theoretical studies on the design and control of spatiotemporal behavior in chemical systems. A wide range of approaches have been pursued to control spatiotemporal dynamics, from periodic forcing of medium excitability to imposing static and dynamic heterogeneities and geometric constraints on the medium to global feedback with and without delays. We focus on the design and control of spatiotemporal dynamics in excitable and oscillatory media. Experimental examples are taken from the Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction and the oxidation reaction of CO on single crystal Pt, which have become paradigmatic chemical systems for studies of spatiotemporal dynamics. We present theoretical characterizations of spatiotemporal dynamics and control based on the complex Ginzburg–Landau equation as well as models of the BZ and CO/Pt reactions. Controlling spatiotemporal dynamics allows the realization of specific modes of behavior or may give rise to completely new types of behavior