Effect of Size on Hydrogen Adsorption on the Surface of Deposited Gold Nanoparticles

An experimental study of molecular hydrogen adsorption on single gold nanoparticles of various sizes deposited on the surface of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) was carried out by means of scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. The effect of size on the HOPG/Au system was established. Hydrogen was dissociatively chemisorbed on the surface of gold nanoparticles with an average size of 5–6 nanometers. An increase in the size of nanoparticles to 10 nm or more led to hydrogen chemisorption being inhibited and unable to be detected.