Development and Application of Advanced In Situ Microscopy and Spectroscopy Techniques for Functional Materials at the Nanoscale

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Theory and Simulation of Nanostructures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 | Viewed by 473

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Physical Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
Interests: structure–property correlations of materials at the nanoscale
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: synthesis and application of optical functional nanomaterials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The study of nanomaterials and devices at the nanoscale has become one of the most interesting and complex research fields from both basic and applied perspectives. In recent decades, the fundamental understanding of static and dynamic processes at the nanoscale has greatly improved, owing to innovative experiments and theoretical approaches. We have seen rapid progress in the development and applications of advanced microscopy and spectroscopy techniques for nanoscale material characterization with high spatial, temporal, and energetic resolutions. In particular, radiation-based (light, X-ray and electron) and probe-based (atomic-, pizeo-, and magentic-force) microscopy and spectroscopy techniques have made fast strides and thus attracted considerable research interest. Therefore, a timely summary and collections of the current status of different technologies and their respective applications of nano materials and devices will be highly valued.

This Special Issue aims to focus on the latest theoretical developments and practical applications of novel microscopy and spectroscopy techniques that have been successfully established and applied on various nanoscale materials and devices. We aim to attract both academic and industrial researchers in order to pool together the current knowledge of nanoscale characterization of nanomaterials and to present new ideas for future applications and new technologies for advancing nanomaterial research.

Prof. Dr. Zi'an Li
Prof. Dr. Ruibin Liu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • nanomaterials
  • functional materials
  • in situ transmission electron microscopy
  • scanning probe microscopy
  • super-resolution optical microscopy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 4223 KiB  
Article
In Situ Growth, Etching, and Charging of Nanoscale Water Ice Under Fast Electron Irradiation in Environmental TEM
by Hongchen Chu, Qianming An, Xianhui Ye, Duanzheng Wu, Binye Liang, Jiaqi Su and Zian Li
Nanomaterials 2025, 15(10), 726; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15100726 - 12 May 2025
Viewed by 251
Abstract
Understanding the formation, structural evolution, and response of water ice at the nanoscale is essential for advancing research in fields such as cryo-electron microscopy and atmospheric science. In this work, we used environmental transmission electron microscopy (ETEM) to investigate the formation of water [...] Read more.
Understanding the formation, structural evolution, and response of water ice at the nanoscale is essential for advancing research in fields such as cryo-electron microscopy and atmospheric science. In this work, we used environmental transmission electron microscopy (ETEM) to investigate the formation of water ice nanostructures and the etching and charging behaviors of ice under fast electron irradiation. These nanostructures were observed to be suspended along the edges of copper grids and supported on few-layer graphene. We varied growth parameters (temperature and time) to produce water ice nanostructures characterized by uniform thickness and enhanced crystallinity. Moreover, we examined the lithographic patterning of water ice at the copper grid edges and its localized etching effects on graphene substrates. Off-axis electron holography experiments further revealed charging phenomena induced by electron beam irradiation, enabling a quantitative assessment of charge accumulation on the ice nanostructures. Our findings demonstrate the controlled growth of ice thin films under high vacuum conditions at cryogenic temperatures, elucidate the etching behavior and charging phenomena of water ice under rapid electron beam irradiation. Full article
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