Publication date: 22nd July 2026
Exsolution has traditionally been viewed as a strategy for producing exceptionally stable catalytic nanoparticles with outstanding resistance to sintering and deactivation. In this presentation, I discuss that exsolution should instead be viewed as a platform for engineering multifunctional materials that integrate CO₂ capture, activation, and catalytic conversion within a single material architecture. Rather than functioning solely as stable catalytic sites, exsolved nanoparticles cooperate with oxygen-deficient perovskite supports and carbonate-forming sorbents to regulate the dynamic capture, activation, and conversion of CO₂.
Using Ni/CaTiO₃/CaO as a model platform, reductive exsolution simultaneously generates highly dispersed socketed Ni nanoparticles and oxygen vacancies within the perovskite support, while CaO provides reversible carbonate storage that dynamically buffers CO₂ during reaction [1]. Together, these coupled functionalities establish cooperative reaction pathways that enhance CO formation during the reverse water-gas shift reaction, suppress methanation through dynamic carbonate buffering, and enable stable cyclic performance during integrated CO₂ capture and dry reforming of methane. In situ spectroscopy and cyclic reaction studies demonstrate that catalytic performance emerges from the cooperative interplay among exsolved nanoparticles, oxygen vacancies, and reversible carbonate chemistry rather than from any individual component alone. The presentation will also highlight recent efforts to translate these multifunctional materials into structured monolithic reactors for intensified carbon capture and conversion.
Collectively, these studies position exsolution not simply as a catalyst stabilization strategy, but as a design paradigm for multifunctional materials that couple sorption, activation, and catalytic conversion within a single material platform. This framework expands the role of exsolution beyond catalyst design, opening new opportunities for dynamic reactor architectures capable of intensified carbon capture and carbon-neutral chemical manufacturing.
This work was funded by the National Science Foundation (CBET: 2432002)
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