1
|
Stender P, Gault B, Schwarz TM, Woods EV, Kim SH, Ott J, Stephenson LT, Schmitz G, Freysoldt C, Kästner J, El-Zoka AA. Status and Direction of Atom Probe Analysis of Frozen Liquids. MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF MICROSCOPY SOCIETY OF AMERICA, MICROBEAM ANALYSIS SOCIETY, MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 2022; 28:1-18. [PMID: 35039105 DOI: 10.1017/s1431927621013994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Imaging of liquids and cryogenic biological materials by electron microscopy has been recently enabled by innovative approaches for specimen preparation and the fast development of optimized instruments for cryo-enabled electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Yet, cryo-EM typically lacks advanced analytical capabilities, in particular for light elements. With the development of protocols for frozen wet specimen preparation, atom probe tomography (APT) could advantageously complement insights gained by cryo-EM. Here, we report on different approaches that have been recently proposed to enable the analysis of relatively large volumes of frozen liquids from either a flat substrate or the fractured surface of a wire. Both allowed for analyzing water ice layers which are several micrometers thick consisting of pure water, pure heavy water, and aqueous solutions. We discuss the merits of both approaches and prospects for further developments in this area. Preliminary results raise numerous questions, in part concerning the physics underpinning field evaporation. We discuss these aspects and lay out some of the challenges regarding the APT analysis of frozen liquids.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Stender
- Institute of Materials Science, Chair of Materials Physics, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Baptiste Gault
- Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Department of Materials, Royal School of Mines, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Tim M Schwarz
- Institute of Materials Science, Chair of Materials Physics, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Eric V Woods
- Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Se-Ho Kim
- Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jonas Ott
- Institute of Materials Science, Chair of Materials Physics, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569Stuttgart, Germany
| | | | - Guido Schmitz
- Institute of Materials Science, Chair of Materials Physics, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569Stuttgart, Germany
| | | | - Johannes Kästner
- Institute for Theoretical Chemistry, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 55, 70569Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Ayman A El-Zoka
- Institute of Materials Science, Chair of Materials Physics, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569Stuttgart, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Schwarz TM, Dietrich CA, Ott J, Weikum EM, Lawitzki R, Solodenko H, Hadjixenophontos E, Gault B, Kästner J, Schmitz G, Stender P. 3D sub-nanometer analysis of glucose in an aqueous solution by cryo-atom probe tomography. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11607. [PMID: 34078953 PMCID: PMC8172843 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90862-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Atom Probe Tomography (APT) is currently a well-established technique to analyse the composition of solid materials including metals, semiconductors and ceramics with up to near-atomic resolution. Using an aqueous glucose solution, we now extended the technique to frozen solutions. While the mass signals of the common glucose fragments CxHy and CxOyHz overlap with (H2O)nH from water, we achieved stoichiometrically correct values via signal deconvolution. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to investigate the stability of the detected pyranose fragments. This paper demonstrates APT’s capabilities to achieve sub-nanometre resolution in tracing whole glucose molecules in a frozen solution by using cryogenic workflows. We use a solution of defined concentration to investigate the chemical resolution capabilities as a step toward the measurement of biological molecules. Due to the evaporation of nearly intact glucose molecules, their position within the measured 3D volume of the solution can be determined with sub-nanometre resolution. Our analyses take analytical techniques to a new level, since chemical characterization methods for cryogenically-frozen solutions or biological materials are limited.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T M Schwarz
- Chair of Materials Physics, Institute for Materials Science, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - C A Dietrich
- Institute for Theoretical Chemistry, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 55, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - J Ott
- Chair of Materials Physics, Institute for Materials Science, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - E M Weikum
- Chair of Materials Physics, Institute for Materials Science, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - R Lawitzki
- Chair of Materials Physics, Institute for Materials Science, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - H Solodenko
- Chair of Materials Physics, Institute for Materials Science, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - E Hadjixenophontos
- Chair of Materials Physics, Institute for Materials Science, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - B Gault
- Max-Planck-Institut Für Eisenforschung, Max-Planck-Str. 1, 40237, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Department of Materials, Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2BP, UK
| | - J Kästner
- Institute for Theoretical Chemistry, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 55, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - G Schmitz
- Chair of Materials Physics, Institute for Materials Science, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - P Stender
- Chair of Materials Physics, Institute for Materials Science, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Gault B, Chiaramonti A, Cojocaru-Mirédin O, Stender P, Dubosq R, Freysoldt C, Makineni SK, Li T, Moody M, Cairney JM. Atom probe tomography. NATURE REVIEWS. METHODS PRIMERS 2021; 1:10.1038/s43586-021-00047-w. [PMID: 37719173 PMCID: PMC10502706 DOI: 10.1038/s43586-021-00047-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Atom probe tomography (APT) provides three-dimensional compositional mapping with sub-nanometre resolution. The sensitivity of APT is in the range of parts per million for all elements, including light elements such as hydrogen, carbon or lithium, enabling unique insights into the composition of performance-enhancing or lifetime-limiting microstructural features and making APT ideally suited to complement electron-based or X-ray-based microscopies and spectroscopies. Here, we provide an introductory overview of APT ranging from its inception as an evolution of field ion microscopy to the most recent developments in specimen preparation, including for nanomaterials. We touch on data reconstruction, analysis and various applications, including in the geosciences and the burgeoning biological sciences. We review the underpinnings of APT performance and discuss both strengths and limitations of APT, including how the community can improve on current shortcomings. Finally, we look forwards to true atomic-scale tomography with the ability to measure the isotopic identity and spatial coordinates of every atom in an ever wider range of materials through new specimen preparation routes, novel laser pulsing and detector technologies, and full interoperability with complementary microscopy techniques.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Baptiste Gault
- Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Department of Materials, Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Ann Chiaramonti
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Applied Chemicals and Materials Division, Boulder, CO, USA
| | | | - Patrick Stender
- Institute of Materials Science, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Renelle Dubosq
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | - Tong Li
- Institute for Materials, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Michael Moody
- Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Julie M. Cairney
- Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kim HK, Ha HY, Bae JH, Cho MK, Kim J, Han J, Suh JY, Kim GH, Lee TH, Jang JH, Chun D. Nanoscale light element identification using machine learning aided STEM-EDS. Sci Rep 2020; 10:13699. [PMID: 32792596 PMCID: PMC7426414 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70674-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Light element identification is necessary in materials research to obtain detailed insight into various material properties. However, reported techniques, such as scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM)-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) have inadequate detection limits, which impairs identification. In this study, we achieved light element identification with nanoscale spatial resolution in a multi-component metal alloy through unsupervised machine learning algorithms of singular value decomposition (SVD) and independent component analysis (ICA). Improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the STEM-EDS spectrum images was achieved by combining SVD and ICA, leading to the identification of a nanoscale N-depleted region that was not observed in as-measured STEM-EDS. Additionally, the formation of the nanoscale N-depleted region was validated using STEM–electron energy loss spectroscopy and multicomponent diffusional transformation simulation. The enhancement of SNR in STEM-EDS spectrum images by machine learning algorithms can provide an efficient, economical chemical analysis method to identify light elements at the nanoscale.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Kyu Kim
- Advanced Analysis Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Heon-Young Ha
- Ferrous Alloy Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon, 51508, Republic of Korea
| | - Jee-Hwan Bae
- Advanced Analysis Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Kyung Cho
- Advanced Analysis Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Juyoung Kim
- Advanced Analysis Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeongwoo Han
- Advanced Analysis Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Yoo Suh
- Center for Energy Materials Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Gyeung-Ho Kim
- Advanced Analysis Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-Ho Lee
- Ferrous Alloy Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon, 51508, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Hoon Jang
- Ferrous Alloy Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon, 51508, Republic of Korea.
| | - Dongwon Chun
- Ferrous Alloy Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon, 51508, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Self-consistent atom probe tomography reconstructions utilizing electron microscopy. Ultramicroscopy 2018; 195:32-46. [PMID: 30179773 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2018.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Atom probe tomography reconstructions provide valuable information on nanometer-scale compositional variations within materials. As such, the spatial accuracy of the reconstructions is of primary importance for the resulting conclusions to be valid. Here, the use of transmission electron microscopy images before and after atom probe analysis to provide additional information and constraints is examined for a number of different materials. In particular, the consistency between the input reconstruction parameters and the output reconstruction is explored. It is demonstrated that it is possible to generate reconstructions in which the input and known values are completely consistent with the output reconstructions. Yet, it is also found that for all of the datasets examined, a particular power law relationship exists such that, if the image compression factor or detection efficiency is not constrained, a series of similarly spatially accurate reconstructions results. However, if one of these values can be independently assessed, then the other is known as well. Means of incorporating these findings and this general methodology into reconstruction protocols are also discussed.
Collapse
|
6
|
Zhu M, Cojocaru-Mirédin O, Mio AM, Keutgen J, Küpers M, Yu Y, Cho JY, Dronskowski R, Wuttig M. Unique Bond Breaking in Crystalline Phase Change Materials and the Quest for Metavalent Bonding. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2018; 30:e1706735. [PMID: 29572962 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201706735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Revised: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Laser-assisted field evaporation is studied in a large number of compounds, including amorphous and crystalline phase change materials employing atom probe tomography. This study reveals significant differences in field evaporation between amorphous and crystalline phase change materials. High probabilities for multiple events with more than a single ion detected per laser pulse are only found for crystalline phase change materials. The specifics of this unusual field evaporation are unlike any other mechanism shown previously to lead to high probabilities of multiple events. On the contrary, amorphous phase change materials as well as other covalently bonded compounds and metals possess much lower probabilities for multiple events. Hence, laser-assisted field evaporation in amorphous and crystalline phase change materials reveals striking differences in bond rupture. This is indicative for pronounced differences in bonding. These findings imply that the bonding mechanism in crystalline phase change materials differs substantially from conventional bonding mechanisms such as metallic, ionic, and covalent bonding. Instead, the data reported here confirm a recently developed conjecture, namely that metavalent bonding is a novel bonding mechanism besides those mentioned previously.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Min Zhu
- I. Institute of Physics (IA), RWTH Aachen University, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | | | - Antonio M Mio
- I. Institute of Physics (IA), RWTH Aachen University, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | - Jens Keutgen
- I. Institute of Physics (IA), RWTH Aachen University, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | - Michael Küpers
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | - Yuan Yu
- I. Institute of Physics (IA), RWTH Aachen University, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | - Ju-Young Cho
- I. Institute of Physics (IA), RWTH Aachen University, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | - Richard Dronskowski
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056, Aachen, Germany
- Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance (JARA-HPC), RWTH Aachen University, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | - Matthias Wuttig
- I. Institute of Physics (IA), RWTH Aachen University, 52056, Aachen, Germany
- Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance (JARA-HPC), RWTH Aachen University, 52056, Aachen, Germany
- JARA-FIT Institute Green-IT, RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Bonef B, Boukari H, Grenier A, Mouton I, Jouneau PH, Kinjo H, Kuroda S. Atomic Scale Structural Characterization of Epitaxial (Cd,Cr)Te Magnetic Semiconductor. MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF MICROSCOPY SOCIETY OF AMERICA, MICROBEAM ANALYSIS SOCIETY, MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 2017; 23:717-723. [PMID: 28587692 DOI: 10.1017/s1431927617000642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
A detailed knowledge of the atomic structure of magnetic semiconductors is crucial to understanding their electronic and magnetic properties, which could enable spintronic applications. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) in the scanning transmission electron microscope and atom probe tomography (APT) experiments reveal the formation of Cr-rich regions in Cd1-x Cr x Te layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy. These Cr-rich regions occur on a length scale of 6-10 nm at a nominal Cr composition of x=0.034 and evolve toward an ellipsoidal shape oriented along directions at a composition of x=0.083. Statistical analysis of the APT reconstructed volume reveals that the Cr aggregation increases with the average Cr composition. The correlation with the magnetic properties of such (Cd,Cr)Te layers is discussed within the framework of strongly inhomogeneous materials. Finally, difficulties in accurately quantifying the Cr distribution in the CdTe matrix on an atomic scale by EDX and APT are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Hidekazu Kinjo
- 5Institute of Materials Science,University of Tsukuba,Tsukuba, 305-8573,Japan
| | - Shinji Kuroda
- 5Institute of Materials Science,University of Tsukuba,Tsukuba, 305-8573,Japan
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Blum I, Rigutti L, Vurpillot F, Vella A, Gaillard A, Deconihout B. Dissociation Dynamics of Molecular Ions in High dc Electric Field. J Phys Chem A 2016; 120:3654-62. [PMID: 27136453 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.6b01791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Blum
- Groupe de Physique des Matériaux,
UMR 6634 CNRS, University and INSA of Rouen, Normandie University, 76800 St. Etienne du Rouvray, France
| | - Lorenzo Rigutti
- Groupe de Physique des Matériaux,
UMR 6634 CNRS, University and INSA of Rouen, Normandie University, 76800 St. Etienne du Rouvray, France
| | - François Vurpillot
- Groupe de Physique des Matériaux,
UMR 6634 CNRS, University and INSA of Rouen, Normandie University, 76800 St. Etienne du Rouvray, France
| | - Angela Vella
- Groupe de Physique des Matériaux,
UMR 6634 CNRS, University and INSA of Rouen, Normandie University, 76800 St. Etienne du Rouvray, France
| | - Aurore Gaillard
- Groupe de Physique des Matériaux,
UMR 6634 CNRS, University and INSA of Rouen, Normandie University, 76800 St. Etienne du Rouvray, France
| | - Bernard Deconihout
- Groupe de Physique des Matériaux,
UMR 6634 CNRS, University and INSA of Rouen, Normandie University, 76800 St. Etienne du Rouvray, France
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Estivill R, Grenier A, Duguay S, Vurpillot F, Terlier T, Barnes JP, Hartmann JM, Blavette D. Quantitative investigation of SiGeC layers using atom probe tomography. Ultramicroscopy 2015; 150:23-29. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2014.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2014] [Revised: 11/07/2014] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
10
|
Thuvander M, Kvist A, Johnson LJ, Weidow J, Andrén HO. Reduction of multiple hits in atom probe tomography. Ultramicroscopy 2013; 132:81-5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2012.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2012] [Revised: 10/11/2012] [Accepted: 12/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|