Understanding the oxidation of metal nanoparticles is crucial for various applications, especially in heterogeneous catalysis, such as catalytic oxidation reactions, where metal nanoparticles are typically dispersed on a support. However, the interaction dynamics between nanoparticles and oxygen, particularly under the influence of support materials, remain poorly understood, significantly hindering accurate comprehension and control of nanoparticle oxidation kinetics.Here, we use aberration-corrected environmental (scanning) transmission electron microscopy (E(S)TEM) to elucidate two distinct oxidation kinetics in supported nanoparticles: preferential adaptive oxidation initiated at the nanoparticle-support interface, where the support promotes oxidation, and surface oxidation, where the support inhibits oxidation.Our system calculations have been confirmed by experimental verification, indicating that interfacial epitaxial matching plays a dominant role in determining the oxidation kinetics in oxygen. It is a key indicator for developing simple interface engineering strategies to regulate adaptive and surface oxidation processes.This work highlights the diversity of oxidation behavior determined by the interface and provides a strategy to regulate the oxidation kinetics of supported nanoparticles under the same conditions.

Original link

Interface engineering to regulate oxidation dynamics of supported nanoparticles

Pub Date : 2025-05-24

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60151-3

Shiyuan Chen, Kai Zhang,  Yuhui Chen,  Bo Shao,  Chaobin Zeng,  Wentao Yuan,  Hangsheng Yang,  Zhong-Kang Han,  Ying Jiang, Ze Zhang,  Yong Wang