Sullivan-Allsop, Sam, Clark, Nick, Wang, Wendong, Cai, Rongsheng, Thornley, William, Davies, Ben, Pattisson, Samuel, Dummer, Nicholas F.  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0946-6304, Logsdail, Andrew J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2277-415X and Hutchings, Graham J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8885-1560
2026.
Atomic-resolution imaging of gold species at organic liquid-solid interfaces.
Science
392
(6793)
, pp. 77-82.
10.1126/science.adw2469
|
Abstract
The structure and dynamics of adsorbed atoms (adatoms) at solid-liquid interfaces determine the performance of advanced catalysts, electrochemical devices, molecular separation technologies, and metal extraction from waste streams. However, in situ investigations of atomically dispersed metals in various chemical environments have been prevented by insufficient imaging resolution and solvent incompatibility. In this study, we combined a specimen design that provides atomic resolution in liquid-phase electron microscopy with deep learning–enabled analysis to explore the interactions between gold adatoms, graphite support, and the solvent collectively. We tracked the locations of >10 6 graphite-supported gold adatoms, dimers, and larger clusters in five solvents. Although their initial atomic dispersion was determined by the solvent polarity, fast drying kinetics at low temperature was required for optimizing catalytic performance.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Publication |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > Chemistry Research Institutes & Centres > Cardiff Catalysis Institute (CCI) |
| Additional Information: | For full list of authors please see https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adw2469 |
| Publisher: | American Association for the Advancement of Science |
| ISSN: | 0036-8075 |
| Date of Acceptance: | 2 February 2026 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Aug 2026 21:37 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/186430 |
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