STEM imaging of single Pd atoms in activated carbon fibers considered for hydrogen storage

Klaus Van Benthem, Cecile S. Bonifacio, Cristian I. Contescu, Nidia C. Gallego, Stephen J. Pennycook

Research output: Contribution to journalLetterpeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

Aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy was used to demonstrate the feasibility of imaging individual Pd atoms that are highly dispersed throughout the volume of activated carbon fibers. Simultaneous acquisition of high-angle annular dark-field and bright-field images allows correlation of the location of single Pd atoms with microstructural features of the carbon host material. Sub-ngström imaging conditions revealed that 18 wt% of the total Pd content is dispersed as single Pd atoms in three re-occurring local structural arrangements. The identified structural configurations may represent effective storage sites for molecular hydrogen through Kubas complex formation as discussed in detail in the preceding article [Carbon XX (2011), page XXX].

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4059-4063
Number of pages5
JournalCarbon
Volume49
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2011

Funding

Research sponsored by the Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy. KvB and CSB acknowledge financial support through UC Davis start-up funds. KvB and SJP appreciate fruitful discussions about BF STEM contrast transfer functions with Dr. Mark P. Oxley.

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