Tuning the Water Reactivity of LaCoO <sub>3</sub> Surfaces by Subsurface Engineering
films with a higher initial Co oxidation state show stronger hydroxyl affinity, while those with a lower Co valence show more significant electronic changes upon water exposure. Our findings demonstrate a form of "remote control" in surface chemistry, where subsurface electronic engineering dictates hydroxyl affinity and electronic response at the surface. This concept offers a new degree of freedom to optimize oxide-adsorbate interactions for (electro)catalysis.
Authors
- Emma van der Minne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0680-9332)
- Ellen M. Kiens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3106-6494)
- Bastian Timo Mei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3973-9254)
- Roland Bliem (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8714-8942)
- Piero Torelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9300-9685)
- Silvia Mauri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2183-4293)
- Guido Mul (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5898-6384)
- Iris C. G. van den Bosch
- Frank de Groot
- Gertjan Koster (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5478-7329)
- Matthijs A. van Spronsen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5136-2816)
- Ester Pérez-Penco
- Christoph Baeumer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0008-514X)
Institutions
- Forschungszentrum Jülich (DE)
- Lund University (SE)
- Utrecht University (NL)
- Diamond Light Source (GB)
- Grunberger Diabetes Institute (US)
- Istituto Officina dei Materiali (IT)
- Middle East Studies Association of North America (US)
- MAX IV Laboratory (SE)
- Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (Netherlands) (NL)
- University of Amsterdam (NL)
- Ruhr University Bochum (DE)
- University of Twente (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Langmuir
- Published
- 2026-04-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c06681
- Primary Topic
- Catalytic Processes in Materials Science
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Diamond Light Source
- Ministerie van Economische Zaken
- HORIZON EUROPE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions