In
this work using first-principles calculations based on spin-polarized
density functional theory (DFT), the role of the Cu atom in degrading
the poisoning of carbon monoxide (CO) over Ni
n
Cu clusters is unveiled. The search has been initiated with
the examination of structural, magnetic, and electronic properties
of Ni
n+1 and Ni
n
Cu clusters (1 ≤ n ≤ 12). X-ray
absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectra of Ni K-edge are computed
to extract the information on the oxidation states and coordination
environment of metal sites of the clusters. This study is operated
with the two forms of dispersion corrections, i.e., D2 and D3, with
standard DFT (with LDA and GGA functionals) for the consideration
of van der Waals interactions during CO adsorption. The PBE and PBE-D3
approaches are found to be capable of yielding the experimentally
observed preferential site for CO adsorption. The effect of spin-polarization
on the reactivity of transition metals (TMs) toward CO adsorption
is crucially assessed by the electronic reactivity descriptors such
as d-band center, d-band width, and fractional filling of d-band using
a spin-polarized d-band center model. The effective charge transfer
from Cu to Ni atoms makes Ni atoms more efficient of charge and is
attributed to the degrading adsorption of CO over Ni
n
Cu clusters. The Ni12Cu cluster stands out with
good CO oxidation activity for the Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H)
reaction pathway.