Element-Selective Single Atom Imaging

TLDR

Electron energy‑loss spectroscopy (EELS) is widely used to identify elemental compositions of materials studied by microscopy. The authors aim to extend EELS sensitivity and spatial resolution to the single‑atom limit. They demonstrate this by applying EELS to detect individual gadolinium atoms within a single‑chain metallofullerene (Gd@C82) encapsulated in a single‑wall carbon nanotube. The resulting chemical map reveals the distribution of Gd atoms, providing a method to visualize and identify individual atoms in nanostructures, with potential broad applications in nanoscale science and technology.

Abstract

Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) is widely used to identify elemental compositions of materials studied by microscopy. We demonstrate that the sensitivity and spatial resolution of EELS can be extended to the single-atom limit. A chemical map for gadolinium (Gd) clearly reveals the distribution of Gd atoms inside a single chain of metallofullerene molecules (Gd@C 82 ) generated within a single-wall carbon nanotube. This characterization technique thus provides the “eyes” to see and identify individual atoms in nanostructures. It is likely to find broad application in nanoscale science and technology research.