Iliad (S)TEM Technology: EELS and EDX

Bonding, coordination, and chemistry of advanced materials

The way atoms bond together and coordinate within a material determines various crucial properties, including, for example, mechanical, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties. By understanding these aspects, you can design and manipulate materials to exhibit specific characteristics targeted to various applications. For example, insights into bandgaps allow you to engineer materials with desired electronic properties for use in electronic devices. Moreover, studying bonding and coordination provides insights into the mechanisms of reactivity and the chemical behavior of materials. It helps identify how materials interact with other substances and how they undergo chemical transformations. This knowledge is crucial for a variety of applications, such as developing catalysts, understanding corrosion processes, and designing materials for energy storage and conversion.

When the electron beam interacts with the sample, a variety of signals are generated. Some of these signals can be used for EDX and EELS.

Understanding bonding and coordination is essential for understanding the structure-property relationships in materials. By correlating the atomic-level structure and chemistry with the material's properties, you can uncover the underlying mechanisms that govern material behavior. This understanding enables the development of new materials with enhanced performance, improved durability, and tailored functionalities. The Thermo Scientific Iliad (S)TEM enables new data collection modalities, such as MultiEEL Mode. MultiEELS Mode allows you to acquire several EELS edges with high energy resolution.

 

Overall, a comprehensive understanding of bonding, coordination, and chemistry in materials is tremendously important for advancing research and innovation. It allows you to engineer materials with desired properties, develop new technologies, and address challenges in various crucial fields such as energy, electronics, healthcare, and environmental sustainability.

 

"We are thrilled to have chosen the new Thermo Fisher Scientific EELS solution, as it will enable us to delve deeper into our materials and devices for energy and quantum applications. The Zebra detector will allow us to capture multiple regions of interest and chemical edges with the highest ELNES resolution in MultiEELS Mode. Can’t wait to get started!"
Professor Jordi Arbiol, ICREA and Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2)

 

What is energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy?

During an inelastic scattering event, energy of the electron of the beam is transferred to the specimen. The incoming electron excites an inner shell electron of the atom in the specimen and creates a hole. To occupy the newly created hole, an electron from the outer shell lowers its energy by emitting an X-ray to balance the energy difference. The emitted X-rays are used for chemical characterization of the sample as each element and each shell has a specific energy.

HAADF-STEM image of DyScO3 showing the area of the EDX acquisition together with the corresponding EDX maps for Sc, Dy and O.

What is electron energy loss spectroscopy?

Electron energy loss spectroscopy is a valuable technique for understanding the bonding, coordination, and chemistry of materials. EELS enables elemental identification with high resolution, allowing you to determine the elements present in a material by analyzing the energy loss spectrum of the electron beam. This information is crucial for understanding the chemical composition of the material. EELS also provides insights into the chemical states of elements within the material, distinguishing between different oxidation states, coordinations, and bonding configurations. This knowledge is pivotal for an advanced understanding of material properties and reactivity. Overall, EELS plays a crucial role in unraveling the intricate details of material chemistry.

EELS mapping

EELS can perform localized elemental analysis with high spatial resolution. This capability allows you to investigate specific regions or, for example, interfaces or surfaces within a material, providing insights into localized bonding and coordination. It is particularly useful for nanoscale investigations of a broad range of materials.

Chemical state analysis

EELS can provide insights into the chemical states of elements within a material. It can differentiate between different oxidation states, coordinations, and bonding configurations. This information is vital for understanding how atoms are bonded together and how their arrangement affects material properties and reactivity.

Valence electron mapping

EELS can probe the distribution of valence electrons within a material. This mapping provides information about the electronic structure and bonding interactions, which are critical for understanding the material's properties, such as electrical or optical properties.

Fine structure analysis

EELS can be used to analyze the fine structure of energy loss spectra, revealing detailed information about bonding and coordination in a material. By examining the energy loss peaks and their intensity, you can gain insights into the fine chemistry of the material, further enhancing your understanding of its chemical behavior.

Electron beam dose optimization

Exposing materials to an electron beam results in alteration of the crystal structure, structural changes, sample heating, degradation, and destruction. To make sure that the investigation of the material is a truthful as possible, TEM users need to work with a smaller dose to limit as much as possible the effects of the electron beam. The electrons that are not detected or that are lost due to overhead of the optical or scanning system do not give any information and cause unnecessary beam damage. The NanoPulser electrostatic pre-specimen beam blanker can eliminate a great deal of this overhead by deflecting the electron beam away from the specimen on a nanosecond timescale. It can also be used for time-resolved experiments.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.