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Discovering Hidden Material Properties of MgCl 2 at Atomic Resolution with Structured Temporal Electron Illumination of Picosecond Time Resolution
Author(s) -
Kisielowski Christian,
Specht Petra,
Freitag Bert,
Kieft Erik R.,
Verhoeven Wouter,
Rens Jasper F. M.,
Mutsaers Peter,
Luiten Jom,
Rozeveld Steve,
Kang Joo,
McKenna Alyssa J.,
Nickias Peter,
Yancey David F.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201807818
Subject(s) - picosecond , materials science , electron , resolution (logic) , cathode ray , electron beam processing , irradiation , beam (structure) , radiation damage , atomic physics , molecular physics , optics , radiation , laser , chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , computer science , nuclear physics
A combination of atomic resolution phase contrast electron microscopy and pulsed electron beams reveals pristine properties of MgCl 2 at 1.7 Å resolution that were previously masked by air and beam damage. Both the inter‐ and intra‐layer bonding in pristine MgCl 2 are weak, which leads to uncommonly large local orientation variations that characterize this Ziegler–Natta catalyst support. By delivering electrons with 1–10 ps pulses and ≈160 ps delay times, phonons induced by the electron irradiation in the material are allowed to dissipate before the subsequent delivery of the next electron packet, thus mitigating phonon accumulations. As a result, the total electron dose can be extended by a factor of 80–100 to study genuine material properties at atomic resolution without causing object alterations, which is more effective than reducing the sample temperature. In conditions of minimal damage, beam currents approach femtoamperes with dose rates around 1 eÅ −2 s −1 . Generally, the utilization of pulsed electron beams is introduced herein to access genuine material properties while minimizing beam damage.