Imaging and Controlling Nanoscale Crystal Growth in the Transmission Electron Microscope

Abstract:

Building functional nanostructures with atomic level precision requires a detailed understanding of materials growth and the physics of self-assembly at the nanoscale. In situ imaging in the transmission electron microscope can provide unique information by measuring individual nanostructures while they grow. Here we describe examples in which in situ electron microscopy helps explore growth mechanisms and suggests strategies to build new types of structure, such as nanocrystals on graphene, electrochemically deposited nanostructures and catalytically grown semiconductor nanowires. We conclude with a perspective on the exciting recent advances in electron microscopy and how these developments will impact in situ experiments in the future.

Biography:

Frances M. Ross received her B.A. in Physics and Ph.D. in Materials Science from Cambridge University. Her postdoc was at A.T.&T. Bell Laboratories, using in situ electron microscopy to study silicon oxidation and dislocation dynamics. She joined the National Center for Electron Microscopy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where she imaged anodic etching of Si. She then moved to the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center where she focused on crystal growth in a microscope with deposition and focused ion beam capabilities and developed liquid cell microscopy to image electrochemical processes. She recently joined the faculty at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT. Her interests include nanostructure self-assembly, liquid cell microscopy, epitaxy and electrochemical processes. She has been a Visiting Scientist at Lund University and an Adjunct Professor at Arizona State University. She received the UK Institute of Physics Boys Medal, the MSA Burton Medal and MRS Outstanding Young Investigator and Innovation in Materials Characterization Awards, holds an Honorary Doctorate from Lund, and is a Fellow of APS, AAAS, MRS, MSA, RMS and AVS.

Faculty profile page of Frances M. Ross. 

Reception at 5:30 p.m. in the Marcus Nanotechnology Building Atrium