Interaction of Gold and Nickel Nanoparticles with Molecular Hydrogen and Carbon Monoxide in the Presence of an Electric Field

— A nanostructured gold–nickel coating has been synthesized on the surface of pyrolytic graphite. Its physicochemical properties have been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, Auger spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and other methods. It has been found that the coating consists of clusters formed by gold and nickel nanoparticles. It has been shown that an electric field can inhibit or stimulate the adsorption of hydrogen on gold and the reduction of the oxidized surface of nickel nanoparticles with carbon monoxide. The mechanisms of the influence of the field on the chemical processes involving H 2 and CO are different. Quantum-chemical simulation has made it possible to determine the values of the energy barriers for CO adsorption on nickel nanoparticles.