Platinum (Pt) has found wide use as an electrocatalyst for sustainable energy conversion systems^1,2,3. The activity of Pt is controlled by its electronic structure (typically, the d-band centre), which depends sensitively on lattice strain^4,5. This dependence can be exploited for catalyst design^4,6,7,8, and the use of core–shell structures and elastic substrates has resulted in strain-engineered Pt catalysts with drastically improved electrocatalytic performances^{7,9,10,11,12,13}. However, it is challenging to map in detail the strain–activity correlations in Pt-catalysed conversions, which can involve a number of distinct processes, and to identify the optimal strain modification for specific reactions. Here we show that when ultrathin Pt shells are deposited on palladium-based nanocubes, expansion and shrinkage of the nanocubes through phosphorization and dephosphorization induces strain in the Pt(100) lattice that can be adjusted from −5.1 per cent to 5.9 per cent. We use this strain control to tune the electrocatalytic activity of the Pt shells over a wide range, finding that the strain–activity correlation for the methanol oxidation reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction follows an M-shaped curve and a volcano-shaped curve, respectively. We anticipate that our approach can be used to screen out lattice strain that will optimize the performance of Pt catalysts—and potentially other metal catalysts—for a wide range of reactions.

铂 (Pt) 已被广泛用作可持续能源转换系统^1,2,3的电催化剂。Pt 的活性由其电子结构（通常为d带中心）控制，这对晶格应变^4,5敏感。这种依赖性可用于催化剂设计^4,6,7,8，核-壳结构和弹性基底的使用导致应变工程 Pt 催化剂具有显着改善的电催化性能^{7,9,10,11,12， 13}. 然而，详细绘制 Pt 催化转化中的应变-活性相关性具有挑战性，这可能涉及许多不同的过程，并确定特定反应的最佳应变修饰。在这里，我们表明，当超薄 Pt 壳沉积在钯基纳米立方体上时，纳米立方体通过磷化和脱磷的膨胀和收缩会在 Pt(100) 晶格中引起应变，该应变可以从 -5.1% 调整到 5.9%。我们使用这种应变控制在很宽的范围内调节 Pt 壳的电催化活性，发现甲醇氧化反应和析氢反应的应变-活性相关性分别遵循 M 形曲线和火山形曲线。