Breakthrough in imaging 3D chemistry at nanometer res with electron tomography

4 points by hovden 1 year ago | 3 comments
  • hovden 1 year ago
    Measuring the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of chemistry in nanoscale matter is a longstanding challenge. Here, high-resolution 3D chemical imaging is achieved near or below one-nanometer resolution. Multi-modal data fusion enables high-resolution chemical tomography often with 99% less dose by linking information encoded within both elastic (HAADF) and inelastic (EDX/EELS) signals. We thus demonstrate that sub-nanometer 3D resolution of chemistry is measurable for a broad class of geometrically and compositionally complex materials.
    • hovden 1 year ago
      The algorithm is made available; may be of interest to HN comp sci community. Fused multi-modal electron tomography reconstructs three-dimensional chemical models by solving an optimization problem seeking a solution that strongly agrees with (1) the HAADF modality containing high SNR, (2) the chemically sensitive spectroscopic modality (EELS and/or EDX), and (3) encourages sparsity in the gradient domain producing solutions with reduced spatial variation.
    • delopsu 1 year ago
      Explanation from the Chat:

      > The paper does not explicitly state that they can "take pictures" of individual atoms. Instead, it focuses on the improved ability to map the chemical composition of materials at sub-nanometer resolution using a combination of electron tomography techniques. This means they can visualize the arrangement and types of atoms in three dimensions with very high precision, rather than imaging individual atoms directly. The advancements significantly enhance the detail and accuracy in studying materials at the nanoscale.

      Cool