Atomically resolved imaging of radiation-sensitive metal-organic frameworks via electron ptychography
Abstract Electron ptychography, recognized as an ideal technique for low-dose imaging, consistently achieves deep sub-angstrom resolution at electron doses of several thousand electrons per square angstrom (e−/Å2) or higher. Despite its proven efficacy, the application of electron ptychography at ev...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56215-z |
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| author | Guanxing Li Ming Xu Wen-Qi Tang Ying Liu Cailing Chen Daliang Zhang Lingmei Liu Shoucong Ning Hui Zhang Zhi-Yuan Gu Zhiping Lai David A. Muller Yu Han |
| author_facet | Guanxing Li Ming Xu Wen-Qi Tang Ying Liu Cailing Chen Daliang Zhang Lingmei Liu Shoucong Ning Hui Zhang Zhi-Yuan Gu Zhiping Lai David A. Muller Yu Han |
| author_sort | Guanxing Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Electron ptychography, recognized as an ideal technique for low-dose imaging, consistently achieves deep sub-angstrom resolution at electron doses of several thousand electrons per square angstrom (e−/Å2) or higher. Despite its proven efficacy, the application of electron ptychography at even lower doses—necessary for materials highly sensitive to electron beams—raises questions regarding its feasibility and the attainable resolution under such stringent conditions. Herein, we demonstrate the implementation of near-atomic-resolution ( ~ 2 Å) electron ptychography reconstruction at electron doses as low as ~100 e−/Å2, for metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which are known for their extreme sensitivity. The reconstructed images clearly resolve organic linkers, metal clusters, and even atomic columns within these clusters, while unravelling various local structural features in MOFs, including missing linkers, extra clusters, and surface termination modes. By combining the findings from simulations and experiments, we have identified that employing a small convergence semi-angle during data acquisition is crucial for effective iterative ptychographic reconstruction under such low-dose conditions. This important insight advances our understanding of the rapidly evolving electron ptychography technique and provides a novel approach to high-resolution imaging of various sensitive materials. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6a0782ee86094b53a61f211e159d7b35 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
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| spelling | doaj-art-6a0782ee86094b53a61f211e159d7b352025-01-26T12:42:38ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-011611810.1038/s41467-025-56215-zAtomically resolved imaging of radiation-sensitive metal-organic frameworks via electron ptychographyGuanxing Li0Ming Xu1Wen-Qi Tang2Ying Liu3Cailing Chen4Daliang Zhang5Lingmei Liu6Shoucong Ning7Hui Zhang8Zhi-Yuan Gu9Zhiping Lai10David A. Muller11Yu Han12Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biofunctional Materials, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Power Batteries, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal UniversityJiangsu Key Laboratory of Biofunctional Materials, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Power Batteries, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal UniversityMulti-scale Porous Materials Center, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies & School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing UniversityAdvanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)Multi-scale Porous Materials Center, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies & School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing UniversityMulti-scale Porous Materials Center, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies & School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing UniversityDepartment of Physics, University of Science and Technology of ChinaCenter for Electron Microscopy, South China University of TechnologyJiangsu Key Laboratory of Biofunctional Materials, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Power Batteries, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal UniversityAdvanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell UniversityCenter for Electron Microscopy, South China University of TechnologyAbstract Electron ptychography, recognized as an ideal technique for low-dose imaging, consistently achieves deep sub-angstrom resolution at electron doses of several thousand electrons per square angstrom (e−/Å2) or higher. Despite its proven efficacy, the application of electron ptychography at even lower doses—necessary for materials highly sensitive to electron beams—raises questions regarding its feasibility and the attainable resolution under such stringent conditions. Herein, we demonstrate the implementation of near-atomic-resolution ( ~ 2 Å) electron ptychography reconstruction at electron doses as low as ~100 e−/Å2, for metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which are known for their extreme sensitivity. The reconstructed images clearly resolve organic linkers, metal clusters, and even atomic columns within these clusters, while unravelling various local structural features in MOFs, including missing linkers, extra clusters, and surface termination modes. By combining the findings from simulations and experiments, we have identified that employing a small convergence semi-angle during data acquisition is crucial for effective iterative ptychographic reconstruction under such low-dose conditions. This important insight advances our understanding of the rapidly evolving electron ptychography technique and provides a novel approach to high-resolution imaging of various sensitive materials.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56215-z |
| spellingShingle | Guanxing Li Ming Xu Wen-Qi Tang Ying Liu Cailing Chen Daliang Zhang Lingmei Liu Shoucong Ning Hui Zhang Zhi-Yuan Gu Zhiping Lai David A. Muller Yu Han Atomically resolved imaging of radiation-sensitive metal-organic frameworks via electron ptychography Nature Communications |
| title | Atomically resolved imaging of radiation-sensitive metal-organic frameworks via electron ptychography |
| title_full | Atomically resolved imaging of radiation-sensitive metal-organic frameworks via electron ptychography |
| title_fullStr | Atomically resolved imaging of radiation-sensitive metal-organic frameworks via electron ptychography |
| title_full_unstemmed | Atomically resolved imaging of radiation-sensitive metal-organic frameworks via electron ptychography |
| title_short | Atomically resolved imaging of radiation-sensitive metal-organic frameworks via electron ptychography |
| title_sort | atomically resolved imaging of radiation sensitive metal organic frameworks via electron ptychography |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56215-z |
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