Aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy applied to ordered porous solids

Abstract

The main drawback for electron microscopy analysis of zeolites and similar structures has been the low stability under the electron beam making the structural analysis of the materials or the acquisition of information of the cage content extraordinary difficult or even impossible in many cases. For the current work, different zeolites has been obtained via hydrothermal methods followed by, when necessary, the reaction between the porous solids and the metal precursors which were desired to be occluded in the pores. Subsequently, the samples were characterized by diverse techniques paying special attention to powder X-ray diffraction for a preliminary confirmation of the crystal structure and by spherical aberration, Cs, corrected STEM. Atomic resolution data of silver [1,2] and cadmium clusters as well the T atoms composing the zeolitic framework will be presented via Cs corrected STEM proving the feasibility of this technique to study the structural defects [3] of the materials and analyse the metal cluster conformation inside the zeolitic cavities.