A close up on the real world-atomic migration under ambient conditions
(PHYSorg.com Nanotechnology)

Increasing our understanding of how individual atoms and molecules participate in chemical reactions is critical to the development of new technologies. However, to date it has not been possible to image atomic dynamics on metal surfaces under conditions that are similar to those of the industrial processes of interest. Now, researchers from Osaka University have used in situ environmental transmission electron microscopy to visualize progressive atomic dynamics in real life-like environments. This significant achievement has implications for materials such as quantum dots-fluorescent materials used in LEDs, solar cells, and medical imaging-and nanocatalysts that are used to increase the efficiency of industrial processes. Their findings were published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.