Zhang Wei, Zheng Wei Tao
Department of Materials Science, and Key Laboratory of Mobile Materials MOE, and State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2015 Jun 14;17(22):14461-9. doi: 10.1039/c5cp01705j.
The atomic features of materials' surfaces have fundamental importance for applications in numerous fields, such as heterogeneous catalysis, energy conversion and thin-film growth. Now transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and affiliated techniques have thoroughly revolutionized many disciplines of natural sciences, and are becoming some of the best solutions for surface exploration. In this Perspective, we try to summarise the important progress in surface elucidation by applying the state-of-the-art TEM, which covers (1) from the essential features of oxides to their dynamic behaviors, and the interactions between surfaces and gases; (2) the visualization of emerging materials from zero-dimensional single atoms to two-dimensional materials, and the development towards an ultimate integration of three-dimensional surfaces. Plenty of room has been made for TEM exploration of a material's surface, and the surface-integral frontiers are being pushed further.
材料表面的原子特征对于众多领域的应用具有至关重要的意义，例如多相催化、能量转换和薄膜生长。如今，透射电子显微镜（TEM）及其相关技术彻底变革了许多自然科学学科，正成为表面探索的一些最佳解决方案。在这篇综述中，我们试图总结应用最先进的TEM在表面解析方面取得的重要进展，其涵盖（1）从氧化物的基本特征到其动态行为，以及表面与气体之间的相互作用；（2）从零维单原子到二维材料的新兴材料的可视化，以及向三维表面最终整合的发展。TEM对材料表面的探索还有很大空间，表面整体前沿正在进一步拓展。
