Figure 1: Characterization of the CuTe nanocrystals by electron microscopy methods. | Nature Communications

Figure 1: Characterization of the CuTe nanocrystals by electron microscopy methods.

From: Structure and vacancy distribution in copper telluride nanoparticles influence plasmonic activity in the near-infrared

Figure 1

(a) HAADF-STEM overview showing the regular rectangular morphology of the particles. Scale bar, 50 nm. (b) Electron tomography reveals the cuboid morphology in three dimensions, with one dimension significantly shorter than the other two. The longer dimensions of the particles, a and b, are ∼25–40 nm and the shorter, c, corresponds to ∼15–20 nm. (c) EEL spectrum obtained from the low loss region after background subtraction showing a plasmon peak in the range of 1.1–1.7 eV. A HAADF-STEM image of the particle from which the data were collected is shown as inset. Scale bar, 20 nm. (d) High-resolution HAADF-STEM image acquired along the a direction. The projected distribution of heavier Te and lighter Cu atoms can be clearly observed. As an inset, the positions of Te (red) and Cu (blue) are marked. A modulation at the Cu sites can be clearly observed. The image was acquired with a long dwell time and hence sample drift gives rise to a slight geometric distortion. Scale bar, 2 nm. (e) High-resolution HAADF-STEM image acquired along the c direction does not show any obvious Cu-site ordering. (f) Powder X-ray diffraction pattern from the CuTe phase containing broad peaks.

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