Direct imaging of local atomic structures in zeolite using optimum bright-field scanning transmission electron microscopy.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37531431.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.adf6865 and PMC identifier 10396294.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Zeolites are used in industries as catalysts, ion exchangers, and molecular sieves because of their unique porous atomic structures. However, direct observation of zeolitic local atomic structures via electron microscopy is difficult owing to low electron irradiation resistance. Subsequently, their fundamental structure-property relationships remain unclear. A low-electron-dose imaging technique, optimum bright-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (OBF STEM), has recently been developed. It reconstructs images with a high signal-to-noise ratio and a dose efficiency approximately two orders of magnitude higher than that of conventional methods. Here, we performed low-dose atomic-resolution OBF STEM observations of two types of zeolite, effectively visualizing all atomic sites in their frameworks. In addition, we visualized the complex local atomic structure of the twin boundaries in a faujasite (FAU)-type zeolite and Na<sup>+</sup> ions with low occupancy in eight-membered rings in a Na-Linde Type A (LTA) zeolite. The results of this study facilitate the characterization of local atomic structures in many electron beam-sensitive materials.