Abstract
By measuring the energy losses of high-energy electrons transmitted through a thin sample, electron energy-loss spectroscopy provides information on the local electronic structure in materials. Using electron beams smaller than 0.1 nm, the technique provides exquisite sensitivity to changes in valence and coordination of the excited atoms such that local changes in the bonding environment are probed with a resolution approaching the Ångstrøm level, with an energy resolution competitive with complementary techniques such as x-ray absorption spectroscopy. With the development of spectroscopic imaging in the scanning transmission electron microscope, this technique can be used to map, at the atomic level, the composition of atomic columns and the valence of atoms at defects, interfaces, and surfaces. Recent applications of this technique are provided as examples showing the potential of the method for materials research.
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Acknowledgements
The author is grateful to several current and past collaborators who have been involved in published original work presented here or for providing samples used in that work, in parti cular, S. Lazar, H. Zandbergen, L. Gunawan, Y. Shao, A. Pignolet, R. Nicholls, G. Radtke, and C. Jia. Some of the work presented here was carried out at the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy, at McMaster University, Ontario, and Delft University of Technology (TUD). In particular, the author is indebted to Professor H. Zandbergen for access to the TUD instrument and NWO funding. Finally, the author is grateful to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for supporting his research.
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Botton, G.A. Probing bonding and electronic structure at atomic resolution with spectroscopic imaging. MRS Bulletin 37, 21–28 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2011.336
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2011.336