Increasing our understanding of how individual atoms
and molecules participate in chemical reactions is critical to the
development of new technologies. However, to date it has not been
possible to image atomic dynamics on metal surfaces under
conditions that are similar to those of the industrial processes of
interest. Now, researchers from Osaka University have used in situ
environmental transmission electron microscopy to visualize
progressive atomic dynamics in real life-like environments. This
significant achievement has implications for materials such as
quantum dots—fluorescent materials used in LEDs, solar cells, and
medical imaging—and nanocatalysts that are used to increase the
efficiency of industrial processes. Their findings were published
in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
