Looping metal-support interaction in heterogeneous catalysts during redox reactions.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41022771.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-63646-1 and PMC identifier 12480962.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
Metal-support interfaces fundamentally govern the catalytic performance of heterogeneous systems through complex interactions. Here, utilizing operando transmission electron microscopy, we uncover a looping metal-support interaction in NiFe-Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> catalysts during the hydrogen oxidation reaction. At the NiFe-Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> interfaces, lattice oxygens react with NiFe-activated H atoms, gradually sacrificing themselves and resulting in dynamically migrating interfaces. Meanwhile, reduced iron atoms migrate to the {111} surface of Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> support and react with oxygen molecules. Consequently, the hydrogen oxidation reaction separates spatially on a single nanoparticle and is intrinsically coupled with the redox reaction of the Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> support through the dynamic migration of metal-support interfaces. Our work provides previously unidentified mechanistic insight into metal-support interactions and underscores the transformative potential of operando methodologies for studying atomic-scale dynamics.