Journal of the American Chemical Society· 2026Q1
Atomic Site-Specific Eigenstrain for Efficient Electrocatalysis
- 1citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Pt atoms with optimal eigenstrain show up to 100x higher activity in hydrogen electrocatalysis compared to strain-free sites, due to electronic structure modification by inhomogeneous strain fields.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Site-specific eigenstrain, not just average strain, influences electrocatalyst activity.
- A volcano-shaped relationship exists between Pt eigenstrain and intrinsic activity in hydrogen electrocatalysis.
- Pt atoms with optimal eigenstrain are up to 100x more active than strain-free sites.
- Inhomogeneous strain fields modify the electronic structure, enhancing catalytic activity.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract Strain engineering is a powerful approach to tailoring the performance of metal electrocatalysts. Despite substantial advancements in controlling the average surface strain and establishing its correlation with catalytic activity, the impact of strain at individual active sites remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate the influence of site-specific strain on catalytic reactivity in Pt nanoclusters by quantitatively modulating and mapping the atomic-scale strain. We reveal a volcano-shaped relationship between eigenstrain─a descriptor of local anisotropic strain states─and intrinsic activity, confirmed through hydrogen electrocatalysis on Pt nanoclusters. Specifically, Pt atoms with optimal eigenstrain exhibit up to 2 orders of magnitude higher activity than strain-free sites, arising from electronic structure modification by inhomogeneous strain fields. These findings provide a quantitative framework for understanding site-specific strain phenomena and guide the rational design of strain-optimized metal catalysts.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnergy