The survival probability (SP) of metastable helium atoms (He*) during scattering from the clean, alkalated and oxygen-adsorbed Ni(1 1 0) surfaces has been examined in the kinetic energy range of 50-400 meV. The measurements were carried out using a time-of-flight technique and a pulsed-discharge type metastable helium atom source. The SP is nearly constant for a kinetic energy (E-kin) of 50-100 meV and decreases exponentially with the increase in E-kin at 100-400 meV. It has been shown that the SP at E-kin = 100-400 meV depends on the repulsive part of the He*-surface interaction potential.