Electric field induced instabilities: waves and stationary patterns

Abstract

We examine a prototypical ionic reaction-diffusion system involving the well-known iodate-arsenous acid reaction in an electric field at a constant current density. By taking into consideration of the spatial inhomogeneities in electric field intensity and charge density due to ionic migration and diffusion using charge balance condition, we look for the different instability regions in the appropriate parameter space. We show that the model admits of both absolute and convective instability resulting in the development of propagating waves and also stationary spatial patterns at times.