Nature Communications· 2026Q1
Large-scale identical-location electron microscopy enables quantifying nanoparticulate electrocatalyst degradation
- 1citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
A new identical-location scanning transmission electron microscopy (IL-STEM) workflow, scaled to hundreds of nanoparticles, quantifies degradation pathways in carbon-supported Pt–Co electrocatalysts, revealing smaller and irregular nanoparticles detach more readily.
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Key points
- Developed a scalable identical-location STEM workflow to track hundreds of nanoparticles.
- Implemented a three-step image analysis pipeline with machine-learning for segmentation, tracking, and degradation classification.
- Quantified degradation pathways at the particle level across statistically meaningful sets.
- Identified particle size and shape as key factors in degradation, with smaller/irregular nanoparticles detaching more.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract Deep mechanistic insight into electrocatalyst stability is essential to design durable, resource-efficient fuel cells. Nanoparticulate electrocatalysts degrade via diverse nanoscale processes, yet particle-to-particle heterogeneity in structure, support interaction, and local microenvironment make true particle-level quantification and understanding impossible with classical approaches. Here we scale up identical-location scanning transmission electron microscopy to track the structural evolution of hundreds of carbon-supported Pt–Co nanoparticles, a prototypical oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalyst. We present a three-step image analysis workflow comprising segmentation, tracking, and degradation-event classification with progressive automation, including machine-learning-assisted segmentation of overlapping particles. By pairing nanoscale resolution and local history with population-level statistics, the pipeline enables unbiased identification and quantification of degradation pathways across statistically meaningful particle sets. We reveal clear particle size- and shape-dependent effects, showing that smaller and irregular nanoparticles are more prone to detachment. Together, these advances provide a data-driven framework for probing electrocatalyst degradation at scale, informing the rational design of next-generation materials.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Nature Communications, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnergy