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Updated: May 20, 2026

Studying Dynamic Processes of Nano-sized Objects in Liquid using Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy
Published on: February 5, 2017
Scanning transmission electron microscopy methods for the analysis of nanoparticles
Arturo Ponce1, Sergio Mejía-Rosales, Miguel José-Yacamán
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) offers advanced imaging for nanoparticles and biological samples. High angular annular dark field (HAADF)-STEM provides atomic-scale resolution for composition and structure analysis.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Biomedical Science
Background:
- Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) is a powerful characterization technique.
- STEM offers advantages over broad-beam illumination, particularly with High Angular Annular Dark Field (HAADF) detectors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review STEM techniques and their applications in inorganic nanoparticles and biological/health sciences.
- To discuss the interpretation of STEM results and its benefits for sample analysis.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing High Angular Annular Dark Field (HAADF) detectors for enhanced contrast in STEM imaging.
- Employing aberration correction for sub-angstrom resolution imaging of nanostructures.
- Integrating X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS) with STEM for elemental analysis.
Main Results:
- HAADF-STEM provides contrast related to chemical composition, superior for thick biological sections (100-120 nm).
- Atomic-scale resolution of alloying in metallic nanoparticles is achieved.
- STEM combined with simulations offers robust analysis of nanostructure composition and atomic arrangement.
Conclusions:
- STEM, especially HAADF-STEM with aberration correction, enables atomic-scale imaging and composition analysis of nanostructures.
- STEM techniques are crucial for understanding nanoparticle interactions in biological systems for biomedical applications.
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