---
_id: '23004'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Lattice strain engineering can regulate the electronic structure of electrocatalysts,
    but stabilizing distorted metastable phases remains challenging. Here, we report
    an N,N-dimethylformamide-assisted strategy for synthesizing metastable hexagonal
    close-packed (HCP) Ni nanoparticles with local lattice-spacing deviations reaching
    approximately 5.2%. Structural and spectroscopic analyses support a dilute interstitial-carbon-stabilized
    HCP Ni framework dominated by expanded metallic Ni─Ni coordination rather than
    ordered Ni3C. Carbon-associated perturbations inhibit structural relaxation and
    retain the distorted HCP framework. Operando x-ray absorption and infrared spectroscopies
    indicate the formation of a NiOOH-like working surface coupled to an HCP-derived
    subsurface framework, accompanied by potential-dependent changes in the interfacial
    hydrogen-bonding environment and urea-derived species. Calculations using idealized
    metallic models show that HCP lattice strain induces a Ni d-band upshift, anisotropic
    Ni─Ni bonding, and localized charge redistribution, modifying adsorption-energy
    trends for the urea oxidation reaction. The optimized HCP-Ni delivers an apparent
    steady-state Tafel slope of 26.95 mV dec−1, over twice the electrochemically active
    surface area-normalized activity of the face-centered cubic-containing controls,
    and approximately 98% apparent urea conversion after 22 h. It sustains current
    for over 120 h in three-electrode testing and enables over 400 h of urea-assisted
    zinc–air battery cycling. This work demonstrates dilute interstitial-carbon stabilization
    as a route to strained metastable electrocatalysts.
acknowledgement: 'Q. X., J. Y., X. B., Y. R., J. Z. and X. Q. thank the China Scholarship
  Council (CSC) for the scholarship support. These experiments were performed at BL22
  CLAESS (proposal 20250340148) and BL01 MIRAS(proposal 20250340424, 20250370488)
  beamlines at ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff. The authors
  acknowledge the use of instrumentation as well as the technical advice provided
  by JEMCA. This research was financially supported by the Science and Technology
  Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Com-mission (No. KJZD-K202401110)
  and the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing (No. CSTB2023NSCQ-MSX0378). ICN2
  is supported by the Severo Ochoa program from Spanish MCIN / AEI (Grant No.: CEX2021-001214-S)
  and is funded by the CERCA Programme / Generalitat de Catalunya. ICN2 acknowledges
  funding from Generalitat de Catalunya2021SGR00457. The authors thank support from
  the project AMaDE(PID2023-149158OB-C43), funded by MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033/and
  by “ERDF A way of making Europe”, by the “European Union”.ICN2 acknowledges funding
  from Grant IU16-014206 (METCAM-FIB)funded by the European Union through the European
  Regional Devel-opment Fund (ERDF), with the support of the Ministry of Research
  and Universities, Generalitat de Catalunya. ICN2 is founding member ofe-DREAM.'
article_number: e2874510
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Qian
  full_name: Xue, Qian
  last_name: Xue
- first_name: Jing
  full_name: Yu, Jing
  last_name: Yu
- first_name: Juguo
  full_name: Dai, Juguo
  last_name: Dai
- first_name: Linlin
  full_name: Yang, Linlin
  last_name: Yang
- first_name: Xiaoyu
  full_name: Bi, Xiaoyu
  last_name: Bi
- first_name: Yuchuan
  full_name: Ren, Yuchuan
  last_name: Ren
- first_name: Jia
  full_name: Zhang, Jia
  last_name: Zhang
- first_name: Xuede
  full_name: Qi, Xuede
  last_name: Qi
- first_name: Yudi
  full_name: Wang, Yudi
  last_name: Wang
- first_name: Ying
  full_name: Xu, Ying
  last_name: Xu
- first_name: Jordi
  full_name: Arbiol, Jordi
  last_name: Arbiol
- first_name: Ren
  full_name: He, Ren
  id: 366c4efa-f61c-11f0-808b-d12a4547ac69
  last_name: He
- first_name: Xueqiang
  full_name: Qi, Xueqiang
  last_name: Qi
- first_name: Andreu
  full_name: Cabot, Andreu
  last_name: Cabot
citation:
  ama: Xue Q, Yu J, Dai J, et al. Dilute interstitial carbon stabilization of highly
    strained metastable HCP Nickel for enhanced electrocatalysis. <i>Angewandte Chemie
    International Edition</i>. 2026. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.2874510">10.1002/anie.2874510</a>
  apa: Xue, Q., Yu, J., Dai, J., Yang, L., Bi, X., Ren, Y., … Cabot, A. (2026). Dilute
    interstitial carbon stabilization of highly strained metastable HCP Nickel for
    enhanced electrocatalysis. <i>Angewandte Chemie International Edition</i>. Wiley.
    <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.2874510">https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.2874510</a>
  chicago: Xue, Qian, Jing Yu, Juguo Dai, Linlin Yang, Xiaoyu Bi, Yuchuan Ren, Jia
    Zhang, et al. “Dilute Interstitial Carbon Stabilization of Highly Strained Metastable
    HCP Nickel for Enhanced Electrocatalysis.” <i>Angewandte Chemie International
    Edition</i>. Wiley, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.2874510">https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.2874510</a>.
  ieee: Q. Xue <i>et al.</i>, “Dilute interstitial carbon stabilization of highly
    strained metastable HCP Nickel for enhanced electrocatalysis,” <i>Angewandte Chemie
    International Edition</i>. Wiley, 2026.
  ista: Xue Q, Yu J, Dai J, Yang L, Bi X, Ren Y, Zhang J, Qi X, Wang Y, Xu Y, Arbiol
    J, He R, Qi X, Cabot A. 2026. Dilute interstitial carbon stabilization of highly
    strained metastable HCP Nickel for enhanced electrocatalysis. Angewandte Chemie
    International Edition., e2874510.
  mla: Xue, Qian, et al. “Dilute Interstitial Carbon Stabilization of Highly Strained
    Metastable HCP Nickel for Enhanced Electrocatalysis.” <i>Angewandte Chemie International
    Edition</i>, e2874510, Wiley, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.2874510">10.1002/anie.2874510</a>.
  short: Q. Xue, J. Yu, J. Dai, L. Yang, X. Bi, Y. Ren, J. Zhang, X. Qi, Y. Wang,
    Y. Xu, J. Arbiol, R. He, X. Qi, A. Cabot, Angewandte Chemie International Edition
    (2026).
corr_author: '1'
das_tickbox: '1'
dataavailabilitystatement: The data that support the findings of this study are available
  from thecorresponding author upon reasonable request.
date_created: 2026-09-27T22:01:53Z
date_published: 2026-09-15T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-10-07T08:33:58Z
day: '15'
department:
- _id: MaIb
doi: 10.1002/anie.2874510
external_id:
  pmid:
  - '42745541'
fulldoi: https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.2874510
keyword:
- electrocatalysis
- HCP nickel
- interstitial carbon
- kinetic trapping
- lattice strain engineering
- urea oxidation reaction
language:
- iso: eng
month: '09'
oa_version: None
pmid: 1
publication: Angewandte Chemie International Edition
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1521-3773
  issn:
  - 1433-7851
publication_status: epub_ahead
publisher: Wiley
quality_controlled: '1'
researchdata_availability: upon request
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
supplementarymaterial: yes
title: Dilute interstitial carbon stabilization of highly strained metastable HCP
  Nickel for enhanced electrocatalysis
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
year: '2026'
...