Work

Probing the atomic arrangement of honeycomb layered oxides via optimum bright-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (OBF-STEM)

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Honeycomb-layered oxides are gaining considerable interest across diverse fields, including electrochemistry, materials science, and condensed matter physics. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has significantly advanced our atomistic understanding of these materials; however, certain honeycomb-layered oxides, particularly solid-state electrolytes, are highly beam-sensitive, making conventional TEM techniques challenging to apply. Here, we employ low-dose atomic resolution optimum bright-field (OBF) scanning TEM (STEM) to maximise the signal-to-noise ratio, enabling the probing of the arrangement of atoms in honeycomb-layered Na2Zn2TeO6. This successful application of OBF–STEM facilitates the characterisation of local atomic structures in electron-beam-sensitive honeycomb-layered materials, thereby pushing the frontier of such observation techniques towards effectively investigating emergent phenomena occurring upon topotactic ion exchange reaction with molten Ag salt.

Source: Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics

DOI: 10.1039/d5cp01190f

Authors: Titus Masese, Godwill Mbiti Kanyolo, Yoshinobu Miyazaki, Kimiya Sukegawa, Tomohiro Saito

Institutions: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Sumika Chemical Analysis Service, Ltd. (Japan)

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and Applications

Subfield: Structural Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Iketani Science and Technology Foundation, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Awards: Design and Characterisation of Novel materials for Potassium. Silver and Calcium Batteries, High Capacity Cathode Materials for Potassium-Ion Battery