Exsolution of metal nanoparticles by control of point defects

Exsolution of metal nanoparticles by control of point defects | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Exsolution of metal nanoparticles by control of point defects Jonathan Polfus, Andreas Rosnes, Bo Jiang, Holger von Wenckstern, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6983793/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Exsolution involves redox precipitation of metal nanoparticles from metal oxides, resulting in materials that exhibit excellent electrocatalytic properties and hold great promise for novel types of nanoscale heterostructures. However, a coherent understanding of the phenomenon is lacking. Here, exsolution is described by three point defect equations involving the reduction of the host oxide, reduction and exsolution of the transition metal, and annihilation of host unit cells. Guided by their predictions, significantly enhanced exsolution in terms of molar amount, rate, and nucleation density is shown by acceptor substitution to the system La0.2Ca0.7Ti0.95Cu0.05O3−δ through atomic scale imaging and in situ X-ray diffraction and spectroscopy. It is demonstrated that the oxygen stoichiometry of the parent oxide increases upon exsolution despite oxygen loss in the reducing environment. Furthermore, strain in both the host oxide and the exsolved metal can constitute an additional thermodynamic barrier for exsolution beyond the availability of the required point defects. Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for energy and catalysis Physical sciences/Chemistry/Materials chemistry Physical sciences/Materials science/Nanoscale materials Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files RosnesExsolutionSI.R2.pdf Supplementary Information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6983793","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":588494762,"identity":"c1230e8a-6fa0-482f-9f13-c85eb22a1dc3","order_by":0,"name":"Jonathan 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