New technique efficiently resolves chemistry of nanoparticles
Tuesday, September 10, 2013 - 07:00
in Physics & Chemistry
(Phys.org) —A new technique from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and FEI Company lets scientists efficiently resolve elements' locations in three dimensions. The team's technique combines scanning transmission electron microscopy and X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry with a new detector arrangement and a brighter electron beam. The result is a three-dimensional map of the elements' placement on a sample smaller than a single blood cell. The team applied this technique to a lithium-rich nickel-based material that could be part of tomorrow's batteries. They discovered how nickel was segregating away from other elements on the material's surface.