Imaging Chemical Compositions in Three Dimensions

Abstract

The three-dimensional (3D) imaging of structural and compositional features at the nanometer and atomic scale is crucial for advancing the applications of nanomaterials in energy storage and catalysis. Transmission electron microscopy, particularly in scanning mode, has traditionally provided atomic-resolution structural insights. However, achieving high-resolution 3D compositional imaging of beam-sensitive materials remains formidably challenging due to the limitation of electron dose. Recent innovations in hardware and computational methods, such as data-fusing and deep learning, have enabled 3D compositional imaging at the sub-nanometer scale with significantly reduced electron doses. This review highlights the principles, advancements, and applications of electron tomography and associated techniques for 3D compositional imaging, summarizes state-of-the-art progress achieved by multimodal tomography and model-free reconstructions, and underscores the transformative potential of these developments for 3D high-resolution characterizations of beam-sensitive materials.

Keywords

Transmission electron microscopy / Compositional imaging / Beam-sensitive material / Physical Sciences / Other Physical Sciences / Technology / Nanotechnology

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