Secondary electron induced current in scanning transmission electron microscopy: an alternative way to visualize the morphology of nanoparticles

Electron tomography (ET) is a powerful tool to determine the three-dimensional (3D) structure of nanomaterials in a transmission electron microscope. However, the acquisition of a conventional tilt series for ET is a time-consuming process and can therefore not provide 3D structural information in a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ACS materials letters 2023-07, Vol.5 (7), p.1916-1921
Main Authors: Vlasov, Evgenii, Skorikov, Alexander, Sánchez-Iglesias, Ana, Liz-Marzán, Luis M., Verbeeck, Johan, Bals, Sara
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Electron tomography (ET) is a powerful tool to determine the three-dimensional (3D) structure of nanomaterials in a transmission electron microscope. However, the acquisition of a conventional tilt series for ET is a time-consuming process and can therefore not provide 3D structural information in a time-efficient manner. Here, we propose surface-sensitive secondary electron (SE) imaging as an alternative to ET for the investigation of the morphology of nanomaterials. We use the SE electron beam induced current (SEEBIC) technique that maps the electrical current arising from holes generated by the emission of SEs from the sample. SEEBIC imaging can provide valuable information on the sample morphology with high spatial resolution and significantly shorter throughput times compared with ET. In addition, we discuss the contrast formation mechanisms that aid in the interpretation of SEEBIC data.
ISSN:2639-4979
2639-4979
DOI:10.1021/acsmaterialslett.3c00323