Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy of individual Ions implanted into Carbon Nanostructures

这项研究建议是一项试验性研究，利用电子能量损失谱结合原子分辨率高角度暗场成像，在专用的STEM(达累斯伯里超级STEM)中跟踪单个掺杂原子注入纳米材料的‘命运’，并继承了申请人之前在碳纳米管和石墨烯方面的工作(后者与Geim在曼彻斯特的团队合作)。这是一项原则证明研究，旨在直观地显示原子在注入过程后的基本行为，它们的结合和成键，损伤和缺陷复合体的形成。长期以来，离子注入一直是硅技术中的一项非常重要的技术，并可能很快应用于纳米结构的可控和选择性掺杂。就基础研究而言，石墨烯是一个模型体系，没有什么能更好地展示高能离子碰撞的结果，以及利用离子注入进行掺杂的能力。它还使人们能够揭示原子掺杂位和-络合物，并将它们与已建立的理论模型进行比较。此外，石墨烯的掺杂在电子和传感器应用方面具有很大的前景。其他需要控制掺杂的越来越重要的材料系统是碳纳米管(用于纳米电子)和纳米金刚石(用于电子和生物医学应用)，我们的研究也将包括这些。这三种材料体系被认为是下一代功能材料。因此，这项初步研究的目的有两个：首先，我们想要毫无疑问地证明单个离子可以随着其边缘精细结构被光谱检测，其次我们想要研究注入后单个离子在原子晶格中的配位(包括损伤，即掺杂-缺陷络合物)。。高度局部化的研究是了解离子注入基本性质的一种创新方法；这里建议的实验只能在像SuperSTEM这样的仪器上进行(即，使用像差校正的扫描探头)。

This research proposal is a pilot study to follow the 'destiny' of individual dopant atoms implanted into nanostructured materials using electron energy loss spectroscopy in combination with atomic resolution high angle dark field imaging, in a dedicated STEM (the Daresbury SuperSTEM), and carries on from previous work on carbon nanotubes and graphene (the latter in collaboration with Geim's group at Manchester) by the applicant. It is a proof-of-principle study to directly show fundamental behaviour of atoms after an implantation process, their incorporation and bonding, formation of damage and defect complexes. Ion implantation has long been a technology of immense importance in Si-technology and might soon be applied to controlled and selective doping of nanostructures. As far as fundamental research is concerned, graphene constitutes a model system; there is none better to show the result of energetic ion impact, and the capability of using ion implantation for doping. It also enables one to reveal atomic dopant sites and -complexes, and to compare them with established theoretical models. Doping of graphene, furthermore, bears great promise for electronic and sensor applications. Other increasingly important matertials systems that will require controlled doping, are carbon nanotubes (for nano-electronics) and nano-diamond (for electronics and bio-medical applications), and our study will include these as well. These three materials systems are considered next generation functional materials.Hence, the aim of this pilot study is two-fold: firstly we want to prove beyond doubt that single ions can be detected spectroscopically along with their edge fine structure, and secondly we want to study the coordination (including damage, i.e., dopant-defect complexes) in the atomic lattice, of a single ion, post implantation. . Highly localised investigations are an innovative approach to understand the fundamental properties of ion-implants; the experiments suggested here can only be conducted in an instrument like the SuperSTEM (i.e., with an aberration corrected scanned probe).