Three-dimensional atomic modelling of functional nanocrystalline structures from a single viewing direction.

The aim of this project is to retrieve the 3D atomic structure of nanocrystals from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images acquired along a single viewing direction. This goal is extremely challenging but can be considered as a major breakthrough to investigate materials that degrade or deform during the acquisition of images along different viewing directions, such as in electron tomography. So far, 3D imaging at the atomic scale was only carried out for model-like systems, which are relatively stable under the electron beam. We envisage the combination of aberration corrected TEM with advanced statistical techniques and theoretical modelling as a groundbreaking new approach to go beyond conventional electron tomography and to perform 3D characterization at the atomic scale in a dose and time efficient manner. Our novel methodology will enable us to characterize functional materials that are very sensitive to the electron beam such as organic perovskites, colloidal semiconductors or battery materials, but will also open up the possibility to investigate the dynamics of nanoparticles during in situ measurements. Moreover, we will be able to drastically improve the throughput of electron tomography experiments, which is a prerequisite when trying to connect the structure to the functional properties. We therefore expect that the outcome of this project will deliver all necessary input to predicting properties and may even guide the synthesis of new nanostructures.

Keywords:NANOCRYSTALS

Disciplines:Condensed matter physics and nanophysics