Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ryuichi Kato, Masami Naya, Naoki Kasahata, Ryosuke Senga, Chikara Sato, Masanori Koshino, Kazu Suenaga, Masataka Hasegawa
Summary: High-quality graphene demonstrates efficient heat dissipation by direct contact with ice, significantly suppressing sublimation behavior, especially for thinner ice. The lifespan of ice on graphene against electron beam irradiation extends by approximately 40% compared to ice without graphene, providing a new avenue for effective thermal management in cryo-TEM analysis.
Article
Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering
Yu Zhang, Laure Bourgeois, Yu Chen, Zhuoran Zeng, Nick Birbilis, Philip N. H. Nakashima
Summary: Magnesium-lithium alloys with high lithium content are of interest due to their low density, high formability, and corrosion resistance. Mapping the distribution of lithium in the presence of magnesium is challenging. This study demonstrates a ratio spectrum-imaging method using electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) to map lithium. Applied to LAZ941 (Mg-9Li-4Al-1Zn in wt.%), this technique reveals that a key precipitate previously thought to be Mg17Al12 is actually rich in lithium. Structural investigation confirms this phase as Al1-xZnxLi, with x << 1. This work highlights the potential of this technique for lithium mapping in materials.
JOURNAL OF MAGNESIUM AND ALLOYS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
C. Favieres, J. Vergara, C. Magen, M. R. Ibarra, V. Madurga
Summary: In this study, the effects of oriented nano-sheets generated during the growth of cobalt-rich Co-V and Co-Zn thin films on magnetic and transport properties were investigated. It was found that the anisotropy of the nano-sheet morphology resulted in noticeable shape anisotropy in the films. Thermal treatments caused changes in the nano-morphology and the associated anisotropic properties.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2022)
Article
Microscopy
Yun-Yu Wang, Sook Fun Chan, Qiang Jin, Kent Zhuang, Jae Kyu Choi
Summary: In this study, a linear relationship was found between the inverse jump ratio of Si L edge and the O/Si and N/Si intensity ratio, which is used for EELS analysis. This method is applied to analyze the elemental distribution in SiON films and compared with XPS analysis. It can also be utilized for flash memory structure (3D NAND) to obtain atomic ratios of N/Si and O/Si for tunnel oxide at a sub-nanometer scale.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Edgar F. Rauch, Patrick Harrison, Xuyang Zhou, Michael Herbig, Wolfgang Ludwig, Muriel Veron
Summary: ACOM/TEM is an automated electron diffraction pattern indexing tool that can determine the structure, phase, and crystallographic orientation of materials. The software package has evolved over the years, with additional functions developed to distinguish multiple phases, including amorphous phases. Strategies have been developed to overcome limitations of transmission electron diffraction patterns.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Hyeongjun Koh, Eric Detsi, Eric A. Stach
Summary: Understanding the nanoscale structure and chemistry of energy storage materials is crucial for battery performance, but characterizing them at high resolution can be challenging due to sample preparation methods. In this study, we used cryogenic lift-out technique to prepare air-sensitive lithium metal and investigated ion-beam damage during sample preparation. Through cryogenic transmission electron microscopy, we found that lithium was not damaged by ion-beam milling, but formed lithium oxide shells in the PFIB/SEM chamber. Cryogenic energy loss spectroscopy confirmed the oxidation of lithium during sample preparation. Our results highlight the importance of understanding how cryogenic lift-out sample preparation affects the high-resolution characterization of reactive battery materials.
MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
N. N. Badr, F. Long, Y. Luo, M. Topping, L. K. Beland, Z. Yao, L. Balogh, M. R. Daymond
Summary: The crystal structure of the interfacial areas of a water-quenched nano-hydride was characterized using electron energy-loss spectroscopy and electron diffraction. Plasmon energy values of 17.4±0.01 eV and 18.3±0.01 eV were observed in the interfacial area, but the existence of the ζ- and γ-phases was ruled out. Simulations suggested that the observed energy values could be attributed to the delocalized nature of plasmon vibration and the effect of the interface on shifting the plasmon vibration frequency.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wang Guowei, Ke Xiaoxing, Sui Manling
Summary: Clean energy innovation has led to the development of single-atom catalysts (SACs) with excellent catalytic activity, high tunability, and low cost. Aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has become an essential tool for directly visualizing single atoms in SACs. This review summarizes recent studies on SACs using advanced TEM, focusing on TEM methods for SACs characterization, applications in SAC characterization, and the increasing importance of in-situ TEM for understanding catalytic mechanisms. The perspectives of TEM for SACs are also discussed.
CHEMICAL RESEARCH IN CHINESE UNIVERSITIES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Francisco Lagunas, Grant Alexander, Adriana Lee Punaro, Christian Moscosa, Linhua Hu, Jordi Cabana, Robert F. Klie
Summary: Mg batteries hold potential for high energy density rechargeable energy storage devices, but the lack of cathode materials that can efficiently de/insert Mg(2+) hinders their development. Despite promising predictions, experimental systems have not been able to compete with available Li-ion technologies. This highlights the need for fundamental studies on Mg electrochemistry.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xiaoyu Liu, Tianzhong Yang, Peilin Lang, Yuan Yao, Xi Shen, Richeng Yu
Summary: Epitaxial CrO2 film was successfully grown on sapphire using CVD method. The interfacial structure and chromium valence distribution were characterized, and the presence of a transition layer was observed.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Natassa Pippa, Nefeli Lagopati, Aleksander Forys, Maria Chountoulesi, Hektor Katifelis, Varvara Chrysostomou, Barbara Trzebicka, Maria Gazouli, Costas Demetzos, Stergios Pispas
Summary: This study successfully prepared polymer-grafted hybrid liposomes using the aqueous heat method, incorporating the amphiphilic block copolymer PLMA-b-PDMAEMA and improving the physicochemical and morphological characteristics of the liposomes. The hybrid liposomes also showed higher protein loading capacity without compromising biocompatibility.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wu Zhang, Xiaoke Yang, Juncheng Wang, Jiale Zheng, Ke Yue, Tiefeng Liu, Yao Wang, Jianwei Nai, Yujing Liu, Xinyong Tao
Summary: In this work, a stable sodium metal anode with an NaF-rich interface is proposed, which effectively inhibits dendrite growth and dead sodium. The Na metal anode shows a long-term cycling lifespan and can be readily applied in daily battery assembly.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Na Yeon Kim, Shaohong Cao, Karren L. More, Andrew R. Lupini, Jianwei Miao, Miaofang Chi
Summary: With the recent development of high-acquisition-speed pixelated detectors, 4D scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) has become available in high-resolution electron microscopy. It provides local information on materials that is challenging to extract from bulk techniques and extends conventional STEM imaging. However, the acquisition of 4D-STEM and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) simultaneously is currently not possible due to overlapping detector geometry. This study demonstrates the feasibility of modifying the detector geometry for overcoming this challenge and explores the use of a partial or defective detector for ptychographic structural imaging, enabling simultaneous multi-modal measurements with spectral information added to 4D datasets.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Shangkun Shen, Zhangjie Sun, Liyu Hao, Xing Liu, Jian Zhang, Kunjie Yang, Peng Liu, Xiaobin Tang, Engang Fu
Summary: This study investigated the He-irradiation response of SLM 316L and revealed several possible reasons for the improved resistance to He irradiation. The effects of unique sub-grain boundaries were found to contribute to the decreased bubble diameter in SLM 316L, while the effects of oxide particles were not significant. The mechanism of stress-dominated He densities in bubbles was validated, and new reasons for the decrease in bubble diameter were proposed. These insights contribute to the development of steels fabricated by SLM for advanced nuclear applications.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Nadine Eissmann, Uwe Muehle, Uwe Gaitzsch, Gunnar Walther, Thomas Weissgaerber, Bernd Kieback
Summary: The effect of titanium addition beyond the solubility limit was investigated to demonstrate the precipitation hardening possibility of the Cantor alloy CoCrFeMnNi. Following appropriate heat treatment, a significant increase in hardness was detected due to nanometer-sized precipitates identified through TEM analysis.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2021)