[{"article_type":"original","author":[{"last_name":"Xue","full_name":"Xue, Qian","first_name":"Qian"},{"full_name":"Yu, Jing","first_name":"Jing","last_name":"Yu"},{"last_name":"Dai","full_name":"Dai, Juguo","first_name":"Juguo"},{"full_name":"Yang, Linlin","first_name":"Linlin","last_name":"Yang"},{"last_name":"Bi","full_name":"Bi, Xiaoyu","first_name":"Xiaoyu"},{"first_name":"Yuchuan","full_name":"Ren, Yuchuan","last_name":"Ren"},{"full_name":"Zhang, Jia","first_name":"Jia","last_name":"Zhang"},{"last_name":"Qi","full_name":"Qi, Xuede","first_name":"Xuede"},{"first_name":"Yudi","full_name":"Wang, Yudi","last_name":"Wang"},{"first_name":"Ying","full_name":"Xu, Ying","last_name":"Xu"},{"last_name":"Arbiol","first_name":"Jordi","full_name":"Arbiol, Jordi"},{"last_name":"He","id":"366c4efa-f61c-11f0-808b-d12a4547ac69","first_name":"Ren","full_name":"He, Ren"},{"full_name":"Qi, Xueqiang","first_name":"Xueqiang","last_name":"Qi"},{"full_name":"Cabot, Andreu","first_name":"Andreu","last_name":"Cabot"}],"researchdata_availability":"upon request","day":"15","publication_status":"epub_ahead","keyword":["electrocatalysis","HCP nickel","interstitial carbon","kinetic trapping","lattice strain engineering","urea oxidation reaction"],"fulldoi":"https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.2874510","corr_author":"1","abstract":[{"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.","lang":"eng"}],"article_number":"e2874510","dataavailabilitystatement":"The data that support the findings of this study are available from thecorresponding author upon reasonable request.","citation":{"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.","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>.","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>.","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>","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).","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."},"publication":"Angewandte Chemie International Edition","type":"journal_article","das_tickbox":"1","publisher":"Wiley","scopus_import":"1","supplementarymaterial":"yes","pmid":1,"date_updated":"2026-10-07T08:33:58Z","doi":"10.1002/anie.2874510","date_created":"2026-09-27T22:01:53Z","date_published":"2026-09-15T00:00:00Z","department":[{"_id":"MaIb"}],"oa_version":"None","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.","title":"Dilute interstitial carbon stabilization of highly strained metastable HCP Nickel for enhanced electrocatalysis","external_id":{"pmid":["42745541"]},"user_id":"2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87","article_processing_charge":"No","quality_controlled":"1","status":"public","year":"2026","language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"publication_identifier":{"issn":["1433-7851"],"eissn":["1521-3773"]},"month":"09","_id":"23004"},{"main_file_link":[{"url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2117/104566","open_access":"1"}],"page":"17435 - 17444","year":"2016","status":"public","quality_controlled":"1","_id":"382","extern":"1","month":"06","publication_identifier":{"issn":["1944-8244"],"eissn":["1944-8252"]},"language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"date_published":"2016-06-20T00:00:00Z","date_created":"2018-12-11T11:46:09Z","article_processing_charge":"No","user_id":"ba8df636-2132-11f1-aed0-ed93e2281fdd","external_id":{"pmid":["27323284"]},"acknowledgement":"his work was supported by the European Regional Development Funds and the Spanish MINECO projects BOOSTER (ENE2013-46624-C4-3-R), TNT-FUELS (MAT2014-59961), e-TNT (MAT2014-59961-C2-2-R) and PEC-CO2 (ENE2012- 3651). Z.L. and Y.L. thank the China Scholarship Council for scholarship support. E.I. thanks AGAUR for his Ph.D. grant (FI-2013-B-00769). M.I. thanks AGAUR for the Beatriu de Pinos postdoctoral grant (2013 BP-A00344). S.M. acknowl- ́ edges funding from “Programa Internacional de Becas ‘la Caixa’-Severo Ochoa”. J.L. is a Serra Hunter Fellow and is ́ grateful to ICREA Academia program. We also acknowledge the funding from Generalitat de Catalunya 2014 SGR 1638.","title":"Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy nanoparticles: Partial cation exchange synthesis and electrocatalytic properties toward the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions","oa_version":"Preprint","issue":"27","type":"journal_article","publication":"Applied Materials and Interfaces","volume":8,"citation":{"short":"Z. Luo, E. Irtem, M. Ibanez, R. Nafria, S. Márti Sánchez, A. Genç, M. De La Mata, Y. Liu, D. Cadavid, J. Llorca, J. Arbiol, T. Andreu, J. Morante, A. Cabot, Applied Materials and Interfaces 8 (2016) 17435–17444.","ista":"Luo Z, Irtem E, Ibanez M, Nafria R, Márti Sánchez S, Genç A, De La Mata M, Liu Y, Cadavid D, Llorca J, Arbiol J, Andreu T, Morante J, Cabot A. 2016. Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy nanoparticles: Partial cation exchange synthesis and electrocatalytic properties toward the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. Applied Materials and Interfaces. 8(27), 17435–17444.","ama":"Luo Z, Irtem E, Ibanez M, et al. Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy nanoparticles: Partial cation exchange synthesis and electrocatalytic properties toward the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. <i>Applied Materials and Interfaces</i>. 2016;8(27):17435-17444. doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b02786\">10.1021/acsami.6b02786</a>","mla":"Luo, Zhishan, et al. “Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy Nanoparticles: Partial Cation Exchange Synthesis and Electrocatalytic Properties toward the Oxygen Reduction and Evolution Reactions.” <i>Applied Materials and Interfaces</i>, vol. 8, no. 27, American Chemical Society, 2016, pp. 17435–44, doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b02786\">10.1021/acsami.6b02786</a>.","chicago":"Luo, Zhishan, Erdem Irtem, Maria Ibanez, Raquel Nafria, Sara Márti Sánchez, Aziz Genç, Maria De La Mata, et al. “Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy Nanoparticles: Partial Cation Exchange Synthesis and Electrocatalytic Properties toward the Oxygen Reduction and Evolution Reactions.” <i>Applied Materials and Interfaces</i>. American Chemical Society, 2016. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b02786\">https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b02786</a>.","apa":"Luo, Z., Irtem, E., Ibanez, M., Nafria, R., Márti Sánchez, S., Genç, A., … Cabot, A. (2016). Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy nanoparticles: Partial cation exchange synthesis and electrocatalytic properties toward the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. <i>Applied Materials and Interfaces</i>. American Chemical Society. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b02786\">https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b02786</a>","ieee":"Z. Luo <i>et al.</i>, “Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy nanoparticles: Partial cation exchange synthesis and electrocatalytic properties toward the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions,” <i>Applied Materials and Interfaces</i>, vol. 8, no. 27. American Chemical Society, pp. 17435–17444, 2016."},"doi":"10.1021/acsami.6b02786","intvolume":"         8","date_updated":"2026-05-12T14:13:53Z","pmid":1,"oa":1,"scopus_import":"1","publisher":"American Chemical Society","author":[{"last_name":"Luo","full_name":"Luo, Zhishan","first_name":"Zhishan"},{"full_name":"Irtem, Erdem","first_name":"Erdem","last_name":"Irtem"},{"full_name":"Ibanez, Maria","first_name":"Maria","last_name":"Ibanez"},{"last_name":"Nafria","first_name":"Raquel","full_name":"Nafria, Raquel"},{"last_name":"Márti Sánchez","first_name":"Sara","full_name":"Márti Sánchez, Sara"},{"last_name":"Genç","first_name":"Aziz","full_name":"Genç, Aziz"},{"first_name":"Maria","full_name":"De La Mata, Maria","last_name":"De La Mata"},{"last_name":"Liu","orcid":"0000-0001-7313-6740","first_name":"Yu","full_name":"Liu, Yu","id":"2A70014E-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87"},{"last_name":"Cadavid","first_name":"Doris","full_name":"Cadavid, Doris"},{"last_name":"Llorca","full_name":"Llorca, Jordi","first_name":"Jordi"},{"last_name":"Arbiol","full_name":"Arbiol, Jordi","first_name":"Jordi"},{"last_name":"Andreu","first_name":"Teresa","full_name":"Andreu, Teresa"},{"last_name":"Morante","full_name":"Morante, Joan","first_name":"Joan"},{"last_name":"Cabot","first_name":"Andreu","full_name":"Cabot, Andreu"}],"publist_id":"7447","OA_type":"green","article_type":"original","abstract":[{"text":"Mn3O4@CoMn2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were produced at low temperature and ambient atmosphere using a one-pot two-step synthesis protocol involving the cation exchange of Mn by Co in preformed Mn3O4 NPs. Selecting the proper cobalt precursor, the nucleation of CoxOy crystallites at the Mn3O4@CoMn2O4 surface could be simultaneously promoted to form Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy NPs. Such heterostructured NPs were investigated for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR, OER) in alkaline solution. Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy NPs with [Co]/[Mn] = 1 showed low overpotentials of 0.31 V at −3 mA·cm–2 and a small Tafel slope of 52 mV·dec–1 for ORR, and overpotentials of 0.31 V at 10 mA·cm–2 and a Tafel slope of 81 mV·dec–1 for OER, thus outperforming commercial Pt-, IrO2-based and previously reported transition metal oxides. This cation-exchange-based synthesis protocol opens up a new approach to design novel heterostructured NPs as efficient nonprecious metal bifunctional oxygen catalysts.","lang":"eng"}],"OA_place":"repository","fulldoi":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b02786","day":"20","publication_status":"published","keyword":["nanoparticle","ORR","OER","manganese oxide","cobalt oxide","colloidal","electrocatalysis","cation exchange"]}]