Atomic imaging and spectroscopy of low-dimensional materials with interrupted periodicities.
Identification of individual atoms and examination of their electronic properties in materials are the ultimate goal of all microscopy-based analytical techniques. Here, we demonstrate successful single-atom imaging and spectroscopy in low-dimensional materials using (scanning) transmission electron microscopy together with electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). Edges and point defects in single-layered materials such as graphene, hexagonal boron nitride and WS(2) nanoribbons are investigated by annular dark-field imaging and EELS fine-structure analysis. Individual dopant atoms are unambiguously identified in nano-peapods. It is noteworthy that irradiation damage and specimen contamination even at the single-atom level are crucial issues in these experiments.
Nanotube Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 5, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Japan. suenaga-kazu@aist.go.jp
Kazu
K
Suenaga
Kotone
K
Akiyama-Hasegawa
Yoshiko
Y
Niimi
Haruka
H
Kobayashi
Midori
M
Nakamura
Zheng
Z
Liu
Yuta
Y
Sato
Masanori
M
Koshino
Sumio
S
Iijima
D001896:Boron Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D006108:Graphite / Q000378:metabolism; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D017348:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning Transmission / Q000379:methods; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic / Q000379:methods; D046590:Spectroscopy, Electron Energy-Loss / Q000379:methods*
D001896:Boron Compounds; C017282:boron nitride; D006108:Graphite