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1. Strain in Core–Shell Spinel Nanocrystals Enhances ORR Activity

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.5c00896  

   Rowell, Jonathan L; Joshi, Aditya; Tan, Haotian; Yoon, Dasol; Manassa, Jason; Stangel, Alex; Bundschu, Colin; Jia, Yafu; Abruña, Héctor D; Hovden, Robert; et al (June 2025, ACS Catalysis)

   Strain engineering of electrocatalysts has been an extensively studied field in recent years, but there has been limited investigation of strain and ligand effects in the catalysts of heterostructured oxides. Such studies could have significant impacts as the localized changes in the electronic structure of metal oxide shells may induce enhanced catalytic activity, complementing those from the well-studied metallic systems. Here, we developed a colloidal synthesis route to monodisperse core–shell spinel oxide nanocrystals with tunable shell thickness for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media. We compare the activity of these heterostructured particles, finding a higher activity for smaller shell thicknesses. The smallest shell thickness aligns with the highest shell strain. The best-performing core–shell sample achieved a half-wave potential of 0.893 V versus RHE in 1.0 M KOH, making it one of the best-reported values for a spinel oxide electrocatalyst for alkaline ORR with a PGM-free catalyst. In addition, this value is within 11 mV of that of the Pt/C reference material. Though a Pt/C reference sample has an overall higher mass activity at 0.9 V vs RHE, when cost is considered, the strained spinel outperforms the Pt/C by over 600-fold at this potential. Our results provide an impetus for exploring the deliberate and controlled use of strain engineering in metal oxides as high-performance, low-cost electrocatalysts. 

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2. Exclusive Strain Effect Boosts Overall Water Splitting in PdCu/Ir Core/Shell Nanocrystals

   https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202016199  

   Li, Menggang; Zhao, Zhonglong; Xia, Zhonghong; Luo, Mingchuan; Zhang, Qinghua; Qin, Yingnan; Tao, Lu; Yin, Kun; Chao, Yuguang; Gu, Lin; et al (April 2021, Angewandte Chemie International Edition)

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3. The shell thickness and surface passivation dependence of fluorescence decay kinetics in CdSe/ZnS core-shell and CdSe core colloidal quantum dots

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlumin.2017.08.024  

   Rajapaksha, Ruwini D.; Ranasinghe, Mahinda I. (December 2017, Journal of Luminescence)
4. Strain relaxation enhances ammonia electrosynthesis from nitrate on Cu/CuAu core/shell nanocrystals with ordered intermetallic layers

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.checat.2025.101328  

   Gao, Qiang; Yao, Bingqing; Liu, Yuanqi; Shi, Lei; Yan, Zihao; Xu, Libang; He, Qian; Zhu, Huiyuan (June 2025, Chem Catalysis)
5. Colossal Magnetoelectric Effect in Core–Shell Magnetoelectric Nanoparticles

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c01588  

   Wang, Ping; Zhang, Elric; Toledo, Dennis; Smith, Isadora Takako; Navarrete, Brayan; Furman, Nathaniel; Hernandez, Alexandro Franco; Telusma, Mackenson; McDaniel, Dwayne; Liang, Ping; et al (July 2020, Nano Letters)

   Magnetoelectric coefficient values of above 5 and 2 V cm–1 Oe–1 in 20 nm CoFe2O4–BaTiO3 and NiFe2O4–BaTiO3 core–shell magnetoelectric nanoparticles were demonstrated. These colossal values, compared to 0.1 V cm–1 Oe–1 commonly reported for the 0–3 system, are attributed to (i) the heterostructural lattice-matched interface between the magnetostrictive core and the piezoelectric shell, confirmed through transmission electron microscopy, and (ii) in situ scanning tunneling microscopy nanoprobe-based ME characterization. The nanoprobe technique allows measurements of the ME effect at a single-nanoparticle level which avoids the charge leakage problem of traditional powder form measurements. The difference in the frequency dependence of the ME value between the two material systems is owed to the Ni-ferrite cores becoming superparamagnetic in the near-dc frequency range. The availability of novel nanostructures with colossal ME values promises to unlock many new applications ranging from energy-efficient information processing to nanomedicine and brain–machine interfaces. 

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