Harnessing screw dislocations in shell-lattice metamaterials for efficient, stable electrocatalysts

Professor Yang Lu and his collaborators developed a dislocation-mediated 3D printing strategy to simultaneously synthesize macroscale architectures with nanoscale chiral surface structures, eliminating weak heterointerfaces that plague conventional catalysts. As a result, the FeCoNi dual-scale shell-lattice metamaterials demonstrated superior catalytic activity (Faraday efficiency of 95.4%, an NH3 yield rate of 20.58 mg h−1 cm−2) and long-term stability (500 hours) for the electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction. This work opens a new perspective for advancing 3D printing technology in catalysis applications. The research findings were published by Nature Communications on 7 Aug, 2025.

Article in Nature Communications:

Harnessing screw dislocations in shell-lattice metamaterials for efficient, stable electrocatalysts | Nature Communications