Aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy: from atomic imaging and analysis to solving energy problems

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2009 · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2009.0112· OSTI ID:1021954

Pennycook, Stephen J ^[1]; Chisholm, Matthew F ^[1]; Lupini, Andrew R ^[1]; Varela del Arco, Maria ^[1]; Borisevich, Albina Y ^[1]; Oxley, Mark P ^[1]; Luo, Weidong ^[1]; van Benthem, Klaus ^[1]; Oh, Sang Ho ^[1]; Sales, David ^[2]; Molina Rubio, Sergio I ^[1]; Garcia-Barriocanal, Javier ^[3]; Leon, C. ^[3]; Santamaria, J. ^[3]; Rashkeev, Sergey ^[1]; Pantelides, Sokrates T ^[1]

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1. ORNL
2. Universidad de Cadiz, Spain
3. Universidad Complutense, Spain

The new possibilities of aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) extend far beyond the factor of 2 or more in lateral resolution that was the original motivation. The smaller probe also gives enhanced single atom sensitivity, both for imaging and for spectroscopy, enabling light elements to be detected in a Z-contrast image and giving much improved phase contrast imaging using the bright field detector with pixel-by-pixel correlation with the Z-contrast image. Furthermore, the increased probe-forming aperture brings significant depth sensitivity and the possibility of optical sectioning to extract information in three dimensions. This paper reviews these recent advances with reference to several applications of relevance to energy, the origin of the low-temperature catalytic activity of nanophase Au, the nucleation and growth of semiconducting nanowires, and the origin of the eight orders of magnitude increased ionic conductivity in oxide superlattices. Possible future directions of aberration-corrected STEM for solving energy problems are outlined.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Sponsoring Organization: SC USDOE - Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1021954
• Journal Information: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences, Journal Name: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences Journal Issue: 1903 Vol. 367; ISSN 1364-503X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
APERTURES
ATOMS
CORRELATIONS
DEPTH
ELEMENTS
IMAGES
IONIC CONDUCTIVITY
NUCLEATION
OXIDES
RESOLUTION
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SENSITIVITY
SPECTROSCOPY
SUPERLATTICES
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0065-0273 K
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
USES