title: Time-resolved measurement of the three-dimensional motion of gold nanocrystals in water using diffracted electron tracking.
abstract: We introduce diffracted electron tracking (DET), which combines two electron microscopy techniques, electron backscatter diffraction and the use of an environmental cell in a scanning electron microscope to measure changes in nanocrystal-orientation. The accuracy of DET was verified by measuring the motion of a flat gold crystal caused by the rotation or tilting of the specimen stage. DET was applied to measure the motion of semi-fixed gold nanocrystals in various environments. In addition to large motions induced in water environment, DET could detect small differences in the three-dimensional (3D) motion amplitude between vacuum environment and an Ar gas environment. DET promises to be a useful method for measuring the motion of single nanocrystals in various environments. This measuring technique may be used in a wide range of scientific fields; for example, DET may be a prospective method to track the single molecule dynamics of molecules labeled with gold nanocrystals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrated Science in Physics and Biology, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, 3-25-40 Sakurajosui, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8550, Japan; Graduate School for Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan. Electronic address: n-ogawa@cc.tuat.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrated Science in Physics and Biology, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, 3-25-40 Sakurajosui, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirohata
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8561, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuji C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, 3-25-40 Sakurajosui, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8550, Japan. Electronic address: ishikawa@phys.chs.nihon-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
keywords: DET; EBSD; Environmental cell; SEM; Single molecular dynamics; Three-dimensional motion