Kohlrausch, E.C., Ghaderzadeh, S., Aliev, G.N. et al. (14 more authors) (2025) One‐Size‐Fits‐All: A Universal Binding Site for Single‐Layer Metal Cluster Self‐Assembly. Advanced Science. e08034. ISSN: 2198-3844
Abstract
2D metal clusters maximize atom–surface interactions, making them highly attractive for energy and electronic technologies. However, their fabrication remains extremely challenging because they are thermodynamically unstable. Current methods are limited to element-specific binding sites or confinement of metals between layers, with no universal strategy achieved to date. Here, a general approach is presented that uses vacancy defects as universal binding sites to fabricate single-layer metal clusters (SLMC). It is demonstrated that the density of these vacancies governs metal atom diffusion and bonding to the surface, overriding the metal's physicochemical properties. Crucially, the reactivity of vacancy sites must be preserved prior to metal deposition to enable SLMC formation. This strategy is demonstrated across 21 elements and their mixtures, yielding SLMC with areal densities up to 4.3 atoms∙nm⁻<sup>2</sup>, without heteroatom doping, while maintaining high thermal, environmental, and electrochemical stability. These findings provide a universal strategy for stabilizing SLMC, eliminating the need for element-specific synthesis and metal confinement protocols and offering a strategy for efficiently utilizing metals.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | correlated single-atom; defect engineering; nanocluster; single-layer metal clusters; single-atom |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Chemical & Process Engineering (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EPSRC Accounts Payable EP/X035123/1 EPSRC Accounts Payable EP/W021080/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 24 Jul 2025 14:26 |
Last Modified: | 24 Jul 2025 14:26 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/advs.202508034 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:229479 |