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Imaging Atomic Structure in Metal Nanoparticles Using High-Resolution Cryo-TEM

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2005

Olivier Balmes ,
Jan-Olle Malm ,
Niklas Pettersson ,
Gunnel Karlsson  and
Jan-Olov Bovin
Olivier Balmes
Affiliation:
National Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy, Department of Materials Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
Jan-Olle Malm
Affiliation:
National Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy, Department of Materials Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
Niklas Pettersson
Affiliation:
National Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy, Department of Materials Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
Gunnel Karlsson
Affiliation:
Biomicroscopy Unit, Chemical Centre, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
Jan-Olov Bovin
Affiliation:
National Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy, Department of Materials Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
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Abstract

It has been shown, by imaging gold (200) planes, that it is possible to achieve better than 0.20-nm structural resolution in cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). This has been done using commercially available cryo equipment and using a 300-kV field emission gun (FEG) TEM. The images of 15-nm gold particles embedded in amorphous frozen water clearly show the (111) planes (separated by 0.235 nm) in gold. Fourier transform demonstrates the presence of (200) planes in the image, proving a resolution of better than 0.20 nm. The experimental results are supported by image simulations using the multislice method. These simulations suggest that it should be possible to achieve the same resolution even in smaller particles and particles of lighter elements. The crucial experimental problem to overcome is keeping the thickness of the amorphous film low and to work at low electron dose conditions.

Keywords

cryo-TEMnanoparticlesgold particlesstructural resolutionplunge freezingimage simulation
Type
MATERIALS APPLICATIONS
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 12 , Issue 2 , April 2006 , pp. 145 - 150
Copyright
© 2006 Microscopy Society of America

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References

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