A MEANS FOR INSIGHT INTO THE NONEQULIBRIUM ELECTRONIC PROCESSES DURING HETEROGENEOUS CHEMICAL REACTIONS

摘要

Generation of a longitudinal electromotive force (e.m.f.) is observed during the reaction of recombination of hydrogen atoms on selenium planar p-n junction with the thin "top" n-layer (chemo e.m.f. or chemo-valve effect). The effect is caused by production of electron-hole pairs due to exoergicity of the surface chemical reaction and its magnitude is a measure of breaking the equilibrium in the electronic system of the catalyst under the reaction conditions. The chemo e.m.f. and chemicurrent is a new means to observe and examine the nonequilibrium electronic processes during heterogeneous chemical reactions.