Atomic-Scale Insights into Nanoparticle Exsolution at Dislocations in Dislocation-Engineered Catalysts

Published: 13 September 2025

Exsolution materials possess promising perspectives towards (electro)catalytic process, facilitated by the use of metal nanoparticles (NPs). In exsolution processes, such NPs are fabricated via a solid state reduction process from a host compound. In this study, we identify dislocations (extended crystal defects) as an additional lever to stabilize functional NPs. We find that NPs nucleate both from the pristine oxide, as well as in the vicinity of dislocations. Interestingly, it turns out that those nanoparticles located close to dislocations do not move and apparently show high stability over time, disclosing a new way of understanding dislocation-phenomena in exsolution materials. Further details can be found in the full publication via https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202502362

Autors: Moritz L. Weber, Moritz Kindelmann, Dylan Jennings, Jan Hölschke, Regina Dittmann, Joachim Mayer, Wolfgang Rheinheimer, Xufei Fang, Felix Gunkel
Advanced Materials, pagese02362 (2025) OPEN ACCESS https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202502362

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Dr. Felix Gunkel