Ryotaro Aso

For perovskite oxides, ABO3, slight octahedral distortions have close links to functional properties. While perovskite oxide heterostructures offer a good platform for controlling functionalities, atomistic understanding of octahedral distortion at the interface has been a challenge as it requires precise measurements of the oxygen atomic positions. Here we demonstrate an approach to clarify distortions at an atomic level using annular bright-field imaging in aberration-corrected scanning transm

A goal in the characterization of supported metal catalysts is to achieve particle-by-particle analysis of the charge state strongly correlated with the catalytic activity. Here, we demonstrate the direct identification of the charge state of individual platinum nanoparticles (NPs) supported on titanium dioxide using ultrahigh sensitivity and precision electron holography. Sophisticated phase-shift analysis for the part of the NPs protruding into the vacuum visualized slight potential changes ar

A clear correlation between the A-site cation size and the octahedral tilt propagation from the substrates into the ATiO3 (A = Ba2+, Sr2+, Sr2+0.7Ca2+0.3, and Sr2+0.5Ca2+0.5) epitaxial thin films was found from the observations of ATiO3/GdScO3 heterostructures using high-resolution annular bright-field scanning transmission electron microscopy. The in-plane oxygen displacements at the interface increase with decreasing the A-site cation size and facilitate the TiO6 octahedral tilt propagation ac

Structural distortions in the oxygen octahedral network in transition‐metal oxides play crucial roles in yielding a broad spectrum of functional properties, and precise control of such distortions is a key for developing future oxide‐based electronics. Here, it is shown that the displacement of apical oxygen atom shared between the octahedra at the heterointerface is a determining parameter for these distortions and consequently for control of structural and electronic phases of a strained oxide

This work investigates the effects of types of epitaxial strain on the structural and magneto-transport properties of SrRuO3 (SRO) thin films grown on (110)ortho NdGaO3 (NGO) and (110)ortho SmScO3 (SSO) substrates that result in a −1.66% compressive strain and a +1.63% tensile strain, respectively. Although the epitaxial strains induced by the NGO and SSO substrates are almost equal in magnitude, the film properties were found to be strongly dependent on the type of strain. High-resolution scann

It is often difficult to observe nanoscale structures of polymeric materials using conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) because of their weak scattering contrast. To produce quantitative image contrast without any staining, low-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (LAADF-STEM) was studied for its applicability for observing fine structures in block copolymers. The LAADF-STEM images displayed microphase-separated morphologies of block copolymers with h

Perovskite oxides, ABO3, are potential catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction, which is important in the production of hydrogen as a sustainable energy resource. Optimizing the chemical composition of such oxides by substitution or doping with additional elements is an effective approach to improving the activity of such catalysts. Here, we characterized the crystal and electronic structures of fluorine-doped La0.5Sr0.5CoO3-δ particles using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM)

The charge state of supported metal catalysts is the key to understand the elementary processes involved in catalytic reactions. However, high-precision charge analysis of the metal catalysts at the atomic level is experimentally challenging. To address this critical challenge, high-sensitivity electron holography has recently been successfully applied for precisely measuring the elementary charges on individual platinum nanoparticles supported on a titanium dioxide surface. In this review, we i

Understanding the atomic and molecular phenomena occurring in working catalysts and nanodevices requires the elucidation of atomic migration originating from electronic excitations. The progressive atomic dynamics on metal surface under controlled electronic stimulus in real time, space, and gas environments are visualized for the first time. By in situ environmental transmission electron microscopy, the gas molecules introduced into the biased metal nanogap could be activated by electron tunnel

Observing the surface structure and charge dynamics of catalysts during catalytic reactions is crucial for elucidating reaction mechanisms. However, nanoscale characterization of the catalyst structure and charge states in the presence of reactive gases presents experimental challenges. Here, the structures and charge states of a gold nanoparticle (NP) are directly visualized on ceria during redox cycles using electron holography, a method related to transmission electron microscopy. The introdu

Abstract Understanding the atomic and molecular phenomena occurring in working catalysts and nanodevices requires the elucidation of atomic migration originating from electronic excitations. The progressive atomic dynamics on metal surface under controlled electronic stimulus in real time, space, and gas environments are visualized for the first time. By in situ environmental transmission electron microscopy, the gas molecules introduced into the biased metal nanogap could be activated by electr

Gold has a wide range of important applications, such as gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for catalyst and various gold nanostructures for sensing technology. For the applications, it is necessary to understand the chemical reaction on gold surface in actual environments, at atomic resolution, and at high time resolution. Though gold is chemically stable, it is known that the supported AuNPs of the size smaller than about 5 nm exhibit higher catalytic activity. This partially originates from the small