Interfaces play a central role across virtually all material classes and offer a rich playground for tailoring functionality. We investigate how interfaces between different crystals undergo phase transformations down to the atomic scale, with the aim of revealing the fundamental physical nature of emergent interface phases.

Our goal is to develop a unifying understanding of symmetry breaking, interfacial electronic structure, excess interface properties, and the emergence of novel interfacial defects. We translate this fundamental knowledge into strategies for controlling microstructure evolution, tuning catalytic activity, and enabling new magnetic nanostructures through engineered interphases.

Using high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy combined with advanced spectroscopic techniques, we directly observe how interfaces evolve under solute doping. In situ experiments further uncover how external stimuli such as strain, temperature, and electric fields drive structural rearrangements, giving rise to new interfacial states.

This atomic-level understanding provides a foundation for designing material functionality through emergent interface phases.