{
  "abstract": "Surface changes have attracted great interest in solid synthesis, catalysis and corrosion. Herein, we demonstrate a distinct surface Al/Co ratio-dependent reconstruction behavior in alkaline media for sol-gel-derived CoAl2O4 particles. Our results indicate that the nominal Al/Co = 2 represents an average composition for particles formed at low temperatures, with spinel Al-excess surfaces and Al-poor cores. Annealing at high temperature homogenizes the cation distribution by the progressive incorporation of surface-Al into the core. Upon exposure to alkaline solution, the Al-excess surface phases are selectively leached and stabilize at a new spinel-type Al-rich surface. In contrast, no selective leaching is observed in normal spinel CoAl2O4 with a homogeneously single phase. These unexpected findings highlight the surface-composition dependent phase dissolution and the progressive incorporation of atoms into specific crystal structures during multi-metal oxide synthesis, hence drawing attention to the neglected relay-like phase formation of each single compound before the final-phase formation of mixed metal compounds.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis #08-03, Singapore, 138634 Republic of Singapore",
    "Institute of Advanced Intelligence and Computing (IAIC), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 1 Fusionopolis Way, #16-16 Connexis, Singapore, 138632 Republic of Singapore",
    "Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE²), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 1 Pesek Road, Jurong Island, Singapore, 627833 Republic of Singapore",
    "Present Address: Mark Wainwright Analytical Center, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shengnan Sun",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5298-0301"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hui Ru Tan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Peng Zhao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Shibo Xi",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8521-3237"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Fengxia Wei"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Debbie Hwee Leng Seng"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yi Ren"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jia Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ming Lin"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhi Wei Seh",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0953-567X"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bsjv0ryn8ykgh.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41467-026-78099-3",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13713982/",
  "id": "bsjv0ryn8ykgh",
  "issns": [
    "2041-1723"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78099-3",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2505|Chemical and Physical Properties of Materials"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214659338",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78099-3_reference.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13713982",
  "pmid": "42946751",
  "published": "2026-09-28",
  "publisher": "Nature Publishing Group",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bsjv0ryn8ykgh.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T12:21:33Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13713982",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78099-3"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2505|Chemical and Physical Properties of Materials",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Phase-dependent Al leaching and crystal structure stability of CoAl2O4 in alkaline media",
  "title_text": "Phase-dependent Al leaching and crystal structure stability of CoAl2O4 in alkaline media",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:21:33Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bsjv0ryn8ykgh",
  "venue": "Nature Communications",
  "versions": []
}