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Title: Breaking the Crowther limit: Combining depth-sectioning and tilt tomography for high-resolution, wide-field 3D reconstructions

Journal Article · · Ultramicroscopy
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [4];  [3];  [1]
  1. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States). School of Applied & Engineering Physics. Kavli Inst. at Cornell for Nanoscale Science
  2. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). National Center for Electron Microscopy
  3. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States). Dept. of Physics
  4. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States). Dept. of Chemistry and Chemical Biology

To date, high-resolution (<1 nm) imaging of extended objects in three-dimensions (3D) has not been possible. A restriction known as the Crowther criterion forces a tradeoff between object size and resolution for 3D reconstructions by tomography. Further, the sub-Angstrom resolution of aberration-corrected electron microscopes is accompanied by a greatly diminished depth of field, causing regions of larger specimens (>6 nm) to appear blurred or missing. We demonstrate a three-dimensional imaging method that overcomes both these limits by combining through-focal depth sectioning and traditional tilt-series tomography to reconstruct extended objects, with high-resolution, in all three dimensions. The large convergence angle in aberration corrected instruments now becomes a benefit and not a hindrance to higher quality reconstructions. A through-focal reconstruction over a 390 nm 3D carbon support containing over 100 dealloyed and nanoporous PtCu catalyst particles revealed with sub-nanometer detail the extensive and connected interior pore structure that is created by the dealloying instability.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22); National Science Foundation (NSF) (United States)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231; SC0005827; SC0005827
OSTI ID:
1511386
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 22317718
Journal Information:
Ultramicroscopy, Journal Name: Ultramicroscopy Vol. 140; ISSN 0304-3991
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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