Graphene-Supported High-Resolution TEM and STEM Imaging
of Silicon Nanocrystals and their Capping Ligands
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Abstract
Using graphene as an ultrathin support, high-resolution
transmission
and scanning transmission electron microscopy (TEM and STEM) images
of organic ligand-stabilized silicon (Si) nanocrystals with unprecedented
clarity were obtained. TEM images of Si nanocrystals are usually obscured
on conventional amorphous carbon TEM supports because of low atomic
number (<i>Z</i>) contrast. The atomically thin graphene
supports enabled clear images of the crystalline Si cores and, for
the first time, organic capping ligands. Various twin defects were
observed, often accompanied by very significant lattice distortion
and anisotropic strain