Zhang Xun, Zhang Xiuli, Yuan Biao, Liang Chao, Yu Yi
School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, People's Republic of China.
J Phys Condens Matter. 2020 Jul 15;32(41). doi: 10.1088/1361-648X/ab977c.
Aberration-corrected electron microscopy (AC-EM) including transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) has become one of the most powerful technologies in the studies of nanocatalysts. With the current spatial resolution of sub-0.5 Å and energy resolution of 10 meV, AC-EM can quantificationally articulate the connection between catalytic properties and atomic configurations of nanocatalysts. However, the restricted irradiation sensitive characteristics of specimens pose an obstacle to solve their intrinsic structure. Low-dose imaging should be applied to overcome this problem. In addition, the choice of appropriate imaging method is also crucial to tackle specific structural problems of nanocatalysts. On the basis of careful management of electron dose and selection of suitable imaging method,gas and liquid S/TEM are able to reveal the structure evolution of nanocatalysts in real-time. Further combination with residual gas analysis would deepen the understanding of the catalytic reaction.
