E02-JEM ARM 300CF
|
Sam
Sullivan-Allsop
,
Nick
Clark
,
Wendong
Wang
,
Rongsheng
Cai
,
William
Thornley
,
David G.
Hopkinson
,
James G.
Mchugh
,
Ben
Davies
,
Samuel
Pattisson
,
Nicholas F.
Dummer
,
Rui
Zhang
,
Matthew
Lindley
,
Gareth
Tainton
,
Jack
Harrison
,
Hugo
De Latour
,
Joseph
Parker
,
Joshua
Swindell
,
Eli G.
Castanon
,
Amy
Carl
,
David J.
Lewis
,
Natalia
Martsinovich
,
Christopher S.
Allen
,
Mohsen
Danaie
,
Andrew J.
Logsdail
,
Vladimir
Fal’ko
,
Graham J.
Hutchings
,
Alex
Summerfield
,
Roman
Gorbachev
,
Sarah J.
Haigh
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[33252, 35552]
Abstract: The structure and dynamics of adsorbed atoms (adatoms) at solid-liquid interfaces determine the performance of advanced catalysts, electrochemical devices, molecular separation technologies, and metal extraction from waste streams. However, in situ investigations of atomically dispersed metals in various chemical environments have been prevented by insufficient imaging resolution and solvent incompatibility. In this study, we combined a specimen design that provides atomic resolution in liquid-phase electron microscopy with deep learning–enabled analysis to explore the interactions between gold adatoms, graphite support, and the solvent collectively. We tracked the locations of >106 graphite-supported gold adatoms, dimers, and larger clusters in five solvents. Although their initial atomic dispersion was determined by the solvent polarity, fast drying kinetics at low temperature was required for optimizing catalytic performance.
|
Apr 2026
|
|
E02-JEM ARM 300CF
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[37292]
Open Access
Abstract: Halide perovskite light-emitting diodes promise high-efficiency1,2,3, low-cost optoelectronics, yet their operational instability remains a critical barrier to practical deployment. Here we develop a multimodal in situ electron microscopy approach that integrates four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and atomic-resolution imaging to directly visualize structural and chemical evolution in a working halide perovskite light-emitting diode with nanometre precision. Our in situ biasing measurements uncover nanoscale structural and chemical transformations initiated at transport layer interfaces, including the formation of metallic lead and lead-rich secondary phases, as well as strain-driven grain fragmentation. On biasing, we observe the partial transformation of the metallic Al contact to insulating AlCl3. Crucially, whereas the bulk of the perovskite emitter remains relatively intact, our experiment shows that degradation is localized at interfaces. By comparing in situ and ex situ measurements, these results establish a mechanistic link between interfacial strain, ionic transport and electrochemical reactions in working devices, and provide a broadly applicable framework for nanoscale degradation analysis in complex multilayered optoelectronic systems using multimodal in situ biasing microscopy.
|
Mar 2026
|
|
E02-JEM ARM 300CF
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[18190]
Open Access
Abstract: Titanium alloys owe their superior fatigue performance to a lack of extrinsic nucleation sites for cracking, but this also results in difficulty in developing fine, 10 nm scale precipitates to provide fatigue strength. Conventional Ti alloys used for large components such as jet engine discs must instead develop a hierarchical microstructure through successive waves of nucleation. Here we show that intermediate temperature deformation can result in the nucleation of nanoscale hcp α precipitates in between large μm thick α plates, and observe the precipitation of these in situ in the TEM using 4D-Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (4D-STEM) alongside the accompanying partially-relaxed transformation strain fields. This results in an improvement in the high cycle fatigue strength of the material by 95 MPa, to around 920 MPa in un-notched high cycle fatigue at 106 cycles, or 200 MJ kg−1, which is among the highest of all structural materials.
|
Mar 2026
|
|
E02-JEM ARM 300CF
|
Elif
Tezel
,
Beatrice
Garetto
,
Davide
Salusso
,
Dag K.
Sannes
,
Izar
Capel Berdiell
,
Sahra
Ahmed
,
Prantik
Sarkar
,
Stian
Svelle
,
Michael
Hirscher
,
Unni
Olsbye
,
Elisa
Borfecchia
,
Petra Ágota
Szilágyi
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[41108]
Open Access
Abstract: This study investigates the catalytic performance of palladium nanoparticles supported on UiO-67, a zirconium-based metal–organic framework (MOF), for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol, emphasising the influence of the size and location of Pd particles in relation to the MOF matrix. Depending on the synthesis conditions, Pd particles were either supported on the outer surface of the MOF, forming larger nanoparticles (∼11–18 nm), or embedded within the MOF pores as smaller particles (∼1 nm), with their size constrained by the host framework. Advanced characterisation techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), coupled with catalytic testing, revealed that Pd clusters embedded within the MOF exhibited higher CO2 conversion and methanol selectivity. This superior performance is attributed not only to the increased surface area-to-volume ratio of the smaller Pd clusters, but also to the enlarged metal–MOF interface, which promotes favourable electronic interactions and enhances the accessibility of active sites. Notably, the confined Pd clusters suppressed methane formation, producing CO as the sole by-product. Despite local distortions at elevated temperatures, the UiO-67 framework maintained its structural integrity under reaction conditions, highlighting its thermal and chemical robustness. These findings deepen the understanding of structure–activity relationships in MOF-based catalysts and underscore the critical role of precise control over metal dispersion and metal-support interfaces in optimising catalytic efficiency and selectivity for CO2 hydrogenation.
|
Mar 2026
|
|
E02-JEM ARM 300CF
I13-1-Coherence
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[39271, 42138]
Open Access
Abstract: Modern electroconductive materials involve copper-based carbon-enhanced composites featuring convenient mechanical properties and, simultaneously, favorable electric conductivity. Such composites can be processed by deformation/thermomechanical treatments to introduce advantageous microstructures, further enhancing their performance. The study features powder-based copper–carbon (Cu/C) composites, fabricated from chemical vapor deposition-prepared powder mixture by a direct consolidation using the rotary swaging method, which enables to eliminate the typical (costly and time consuming) preparation steps of consolidation and sintering. The directly consolidated Cu/C composites were further processed by the severe plastic deformation method of high-pressure torsion (HPT), introducing severe shear strain and high pressure and thus providing fine-grained microstructures. The consolidated composites were processed with two HPT revolutions. The results showed that the final microstructures and properties were primarily influenced by the carbon content within the prepared powder mixture; although the HPT-processed composites featured homogeneous fine-grained microstructures with the average grain sizes of 2–3 µm, the sizes of the graphene particles varied. The Vickers microhardness exceeded 100 HV0.1 for all the samples, and the electric conductivity varied between 98.8% and 102.1% IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard).
|
Mar 2026
|
|
E02-JEM ARM 300CF
I05-ARPES
|
Amy
Carl
,
Nicholas
Clark
,
David G.
Hopkinson
,
Matthew
Hamer
,
Matthew
Watson
,
Laxman
Nagireddy
,
James E.
Nunn
,
Alexei
Barinov
,
Yichao
Zou
,
William
Thornley
,
Casey
Cheung
,
Wendong
Wang
,
Sam
Sullivan-Allsop
,
Xiao
Li
,
Astrid
Weston
,
Eli G.
Castanon
,
Andrey V.
Kretinin
,
Cephise
Cacho
,
Neil R.
Wilson
,
Sarah J.
Haigh
,
Roman
Gorbachev
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[21597, 21981, 24290, 24338]
Open Access
Abstract: Magnetic two-dimensional materials are a promising platform for novel nano-electronic device architectures. One such layered crystal is the ferromagnetic semiconductor chromium germanium telluride (Cr2Ge2Te6) which recently attracted interest due to its potential for spintronics and memory applications. Here we investigate its properties from the structural standpoint using atomic resolution Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) and present the first atomic resolution images down to its monolayer limit. We develop a novel technique that allows one to map the local tilt with unprecedented spatial resolution using only high-resolution images, enabling mapping of the topography and morphological variation of atomically thin crystals. Using it, we show that the Cr2Ge2Te6 monolayer has an unusually large out-of-plane rippling, with local tilt variation reaching 20° over few nm length scales. We hypothesize that such a strongly buckled structure originates from both point and extended lattice defects which are more prevalent in monolayer crystals. In addition, we correlate the structural observations with the band structure measurements using Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES). We believe that both the atomic scale insights we have gained on Cr2Ge2Te6 and our novel approach to nanoscale topography mapping will benefit the development of van der Waals heterostructures in both fundamental and applied research.
|
Feb 2026
|
|
E02-JEM ARM 300CF
|
Jaeho
Lee
,
Wengang
Huang
,
Xiangyi
Zha
,
Xuemei
Li
,
Zixi
Xie
,
Peng
Chen
,
Chenghan
Sun
,
Muhammad Yazid
Bin Zulkifli
,
Sang T.
Pham
,
Bun
Chan
,
Marija
Švegovec
,
Atul
Shukla
,
Junyong
Zhu
,
Rijia
Lin
,
Nicholas M.
Bedford
,
Vicki
Chen
,
Sean
Collins
,
Andraž
Krajnc
,
Anthony K.
Cheetham
,
Lianzhou
Wang
,
Jingwei
Hou
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[26822]
Open Access
Abstract: Developing quantum dots (QDs) with robust and stable photoluminescence are critical for the advancement of optical nanomaterials. However, QD synthesis still usually involves complex nucleation, growth, surface capping, and separation procedures. Herein, we present an approach to generating embedded PbI2 QDs in situ within the matrix of a metal–organic framework (MOF) glass. This is achieved by controllable decomposition of an optoelectronically inactive δ-phase organic lead halide perovskite (OLHP) within the MOF glass, where the high-temperature MOF melt alters the degradation pathway through interfacial bonding and dissolution effects, effectively preventing PbI2 aggregation and passivating the resulting QDs. The resulting composite exhibits high-quality, narrow line width photoluminescence at room temperature, alongside remarkable stability under ambient conditions. This innovative approach offers a sustainable and efficient route for QD generation, underscoring the potential of MOF glass-based composites in optoelectronic applications.
|
Jan 2026
|
|
E02-JEM ARM 300CF
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[33252]
Open Access
Abstract: The Noise2Void technique is demonstrated for successful denoising of atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images. The technique is applied to denoising atomic resolution images and videos of gold adatoms on a graphene surface within a graphene liquid-cell, with the denoised experimental data qualitatively demonstrating improved visibility of both the Au adatoms and the graphene lattice. The denoising performance is quantified by comparison to similar simulated data and the approach is found to significantly outperform both total variation and simple Gaussian blurring. Compared to other denoising methods, the Noise2Void technique has the combined advantages that it requires no manual intervention during training or denoising, no prior knowledge of the sample and is compatible with real-time data acquisition rates of at least 45 frames per second.
|
Jan 2026
|
|
E02-JEM ARM 300CF
|
Wendong
Wang
,
Gareth R.
Tainton
,
Nicholas J.
Clark
,
James G.
Mchugh
,
Xue
Li
,
Sam
Sullivan-Allsop
,
David G.
Hopkinson
,
Oldrich
Cicvárek
,
Francisco
Selles
,
Rui
Zhang
,
Joshua D.
Swindell
,
Alex
Summerfield
,
David J.
Lewis
,
Vladimir I.
Fal'Ko
,
Zdenek
Sofer
,
Sarah
Haigh
,
Roman
Gorbachev
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[39088]
Abstract: Transition metal diiodides such as FeI2, NiI2, and CoI2 are an emerging class of 2D magnets exhibiting rich and diverse magnetic behavior, but their study at the monolayer limit has been severely hindered by fabrication challenges due to their air-sensitivity. Here, we introduce a polymer-free method for clean, rapid, and high-yield assembly of hermetically encapsulated suspended samples of air-sensitive monolayers. Applied to diiodides, it enables atomic resolution characterization of thin samples down to the monolayer limit using transmission electron microscopy. Our imaging, combined with complementary first-principles calculations, reveals an unusually small energy barrier between alternate stable stacking polytypes in few-layer films, enabling extrinsic control of the stacking phase. We also observe stable isolated iodine vacancies that do not aggregate to form extended structures and identify and verify the stability of the various edge configurations of thin samples. These results establish the structural characteristics of these materials in the thin limit and more broadly demonstrate the utility of our transfer platform for creating atomically clean suspended van der Waals heterostructures.
|
Jan 2026
|
|
E02-JEM ARM 300CF
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[37041, 56733]
Open Access
Abstract: 2D Prussian blue and its analogues hold great promise for applications in catalysis, energy conversion, sensing, and memory devices, thanks to their open frameworks, surface activity, and directional ion transport. However, synthesizing high-quality and large-area 2D films remains a major challenge. Here, we present a robust and scalable liquid-liquid interfacial synthesis that enables the formation of continuous, 2D flakes of Prussian blue (Fe3+[Fe2+(CN)6]0.75) with tunable thicknesses from ∼2 nm to several hundred nanometers. The controlled reduction of [Fe3+(CN)6]3− to [Fe2+(CN)6]4− enables slow, directed growth of 2D-FeFe layers. Unlike films formed from nanoparticles, this method yields high-quality flakes suitable for integration into devices. As a demonstration, we incorporated these films into Ag filament-based electrochemical metallization memristors. The 2D-FeFe devices ≥50 nm thick exhibited reliable bipolar electrical switching, with high Roff/on ratios (∼106), >6 h retention, and stability over 150 cycles. Strikingly, switching was observed across 1.5 µm lateral gaps, far exceeding conventional silver filament formation distances, highlighting the superior ion transport and structural integrity of these 2D frameworks. This scalable approach to 2D Prussian blue, which has the potential to be extended to other related coordination polymers, offers exciting opportunities beyond memristors, enabling integration into technologies where thin-film compatibility, directional ion transport, and high surface activity are critical, such as catalysis, energy storage, and neuromorphic computing.
|
Jan 2026
|
|
