Structural Analysis of Slight Cation Displacements Using Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy

Abstract

Scanning transmission electron microscopy is a powerful technique for analyzing materials at the atomic level. High-tech materials require design at the nanoscale level to optimize their properties. Analyzing changes in atomic positions near surface, heterointerfaces, and other crystalline defects with picometer-level precision are crucial to understand the relationships between structures and properties to be probed in unprecedented detail. In this study, we measured cation displacements at the (010) surface of Li-ion battery cathode material LiFePO₄ and within multiphase nanodomains of a strained BaTiO₃ film.