Editor's Summary
17 July 2008
Imaging atoms: 'invisible' graphene brings electron microscopy to single carbons and hydrogens
Scanning tunnelling microscopes made it possible to image atomic-scale features on a solid-state surface. But they have limitations in terms of sample conductivity, cleanliness and data acquisition rate. An older technology, the transmission electron microscope (TEM), meanwhile evolved to be able to image individual heavy atoms. But lighter atoms remained beyond its range because of their low contrast. Enter graphene, the one-atom-thick sheet of carbon atoms packed in a dense two-dimensional honeycomb lattice. Meyer et al. show that atoms as small as carbon and even hydrogen adsorbed onto graphene can be imaged using standard TEM technology. Ultrathin graphene is an ideal support, either invisible or, if the lattice is resolved at high resolution, its contribution to the imaging signal is easily removed. This approach brings atomic resolution to biomolecules as well as to graphene itself.
Authors: Abstractions
doi:10.1038/7202viiib
News and Views: Microscopy: Spot the atom
Heavy atoms can be detected by electron microscopy, but lighter atoms, such as carbon or hydrogen, are more elusive. These bashful atoms can now be pinpointed if they are adsorbed to a single layer of graphite.
John Silcox
doi:10.1038/454283a
Letter: Imaging and dynamics of light atoms and molecules on graphene
Jannik C. Meyer, C. O. Girit, M. F. Crommie & A. Zettl
doi:10.1038/nature07094
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,093K) | Supplementary information
