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You can get down a layer two but that's about it. There is no method for capturing a full 3D model in experiment, although we can get projections from X-Ray dif
by acadien 12y ago
You can get down a layer two but that's about it. There is no method for capturing a full 3D model in experiment, although we can get projections from X-Ray diffraction and other scattering methods. Also there are single photon X-Ray methods being developed that will get us extremely close to complete 3D models. But that aside you also have to take into account that these materials are often not at 0K so they're vibrating or even moving at the atomic scale. This is a huge problem for example, when studying Proteins.
- Osmium 12y ago> There is no method for capturing a full 3D model in experiment 3D atom probe is getting there[1], though that's not at all appropriate for biological samples. This is where you get a microscopic conical section of your sample and remove material one layer of atoms at a time using a laser and then detect the ions removed using a mass spectrometer. This gives a 3D reconstruction of your sample, which is incredibly useful for crystallography. [1] http://www.cameca.com/instruments-for-research/atom-probe.aspx http://www.cameca.com/instruments-for-research/atom-probe.as... Of course, you can also do tomography with STEM/TEM too, and reconstruct a 3D model that way. I've seen people do this with analytical EM so you get a 3D model colour-coded by composition, though this hasn't been at atomic resolution. > there are single photon X-Ray methods being developed that will get us extremely close to complete 3D models Do you have a link to some key papers? Sounds fascinating!