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Super‐Resolution Microscopy Reveals Shape and Distribution of Dislocations in Single‐Crystal Nanocomposites
Author(s) -
Ihli Johannes,
Green David C.,
Lynch Christophe,
Holden Mark A.,
Lee Phillip A.,
Zhang Shuheng,
Robinson Ian K.,
Webb Stephen E. D.,
Meldrum Fiona C.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201905293
Subject(s) - materials science , nucleation , crystallography , nanoparticle , dislocation , chemical physics , calcite , crystal (programming language) , nanocomposite , nanotechnology , mineralogy , composite material , chemistry , computer science , organic chemistry , programming language
With their potential to offer new properties, single crystals containing nanoparticles provide an attractive class of nanocomposite materials. However, to fully profit from these, it is essential that we can characterise their 3D structures, identifying the locations of individual nanoparticles, and the defects present within the host crystals. Using calcite crystals containing quantum dots as a model system, we here use 3D stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) to locate the positions of the nanoparticles within the host crystal. The nanoparticles are shown to preferentially associate with dislocations in a manner previously recognised for atomic impurities, rendering these defects visible by STORM. Our images also demonstrate that the types of dislocations formed at the crystal/substrate interface vary according to the nucleation face, and dislocation loops are observed that have entirely different geometries to classic misfit dislocations. This approach offers a rapid, easily accessed, and non‐destructive method for visualising the dislocations present within crystals, and gives insight into the mechanisms by which additives become occluded within crystals.