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Low loss EELS and EFTEM study of Bi2Te3 based bulk and nanomaterials

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Energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) yields new possibilities for the investigation of Bi2Te3 based nanomaterials. Combined low-loss electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) and energy-dispersive x-ray microanalysis (EDS) and energy-filtered TEM were applied on a Zeiss 912Ω TEM to investigate nanowires, thin films, and bulk materials. Multilayered Bi-Sb-Te nanowires with a diameter of 65 nm and a period of 200 nm and stoichiometric Bi2Te3 nanowires were grown by potential-pulsed electrochemical deposition. Tellurium elemental maps of the multilayered nanowires were obtained by two-window edge-jump ratio images (EJI). EDS chemical analysis showed that small Te fluctuations of 3 at.% yielded significant contrast in EJI. Energy-filtered TEM applied on nano-alloyed Bi2Te3 thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) revealed 10-20 nm thick Bi-rich blocking layers at grain boundaries. Plasmon spectroscopy by EELS was applied on Bi2(Te0.91Se0.09)3 bulk and yielded a plasmon energy of 16.9 eV. Finally, plasmon dispersion was measured for Bi2(Te0.91Se0.09)3 bulk by angle-resolved EELS, which yields a fingerprint of the anisotropy and the dimensionality of the electronic structure of the materials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 10, D‑72076, Tübingen, Germany

    N. Peranio, Z. Aabdin & O. Eibl

  2. Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Hamburg, Jungiusstrasse 11, D-20355, Hamburg, Germany

    W. Töllner & K. Nielsch

  3. Fraunhofer Institut Physikalische Messtechnik, Heidenhofstrasse 8, D-79110, Freiburg, Germany

    M. Winkler, J. König & H. Böttner

Authors
  1. N. Peranio
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  2. Z. Aabdin
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  3. W. Töllner
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  4. M. Winkler
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  5. J. König
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  6. O. Eibl
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  7. K. Nielsch
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  8. H. Böttner
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Peranio, N., Aabdin, Z., Töllner, W. et al. Low loss EELS and EFTEM study of Bi2Te3 based bulk and nanomaterials. MRS Online Proceedings Library 1329, 1021 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1557/opl.2011.1238

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/opl.2011.1238

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