First atomic bond recording

The pair of rhenium atoms were put into an empty carbon nanotube and then shone a beam of high-energy electrons to create a 18-second film.

Atoms exist in a stable bonding mass. However, it is impossible to record these links because with the length of 0.1-3.3 nanometers, the atomic bonds are half a million times smaller than the width of a hair.

So far, the atomic bonding process has only been simulated in classrooms and laboratories using the ball and stick model. Recently, thanks to research by British and German scientists, students and graduate students will be able to observe 18 seconds of the bonding process of two rhenium (Re) atoms.

Researchers from Nottingham University and Ulm University have inserted rhenium atoms into hollow carbon nanotubes shaped like chemical test tubes. Then use a transmission electron microscope (TEM) to create a movie of atoms. In TEM, project a beam of high-energy electrons through the object all the way to the other end of the nanotube. The beam not only captures the activity image but also transmits energy to break chemical bonds. Using tools from the SALVE Project , this two-in-one technique allows scientists to image bonded rhenium atoms (Re2) traveling on a nanotube.

Describing footage of the atomic bonding process, Dr. Kecheng Cao - research assistant at Ulm University said that when Re2 moves down the nanotube, the link length changes, the bond is stronger or weaker depending on depends on the surroundings of the atoms. In fact, at one point, when stretching the link to a size larger than the atoms themselves, the links would break. The atoms then become a Re2 molecule .

Picture 1 of First atomic bond recording
Image of Re2 on a part of carbon nanotubes.(Photo: University of Nottingham).

"Because rhenium has a high atomic number, it's easier to see in TEM than lighter elements that help us identify each metal atom as a black dot , " said Professor Andrei Khlobystov, co-head of the University of Nottingham Research Project. explain.

This research is a new step to understand the link between metal atoms, describe the properties of the material. The upcoming team of scientists will further research and analyze the structure and impact of individual molecules in real time.

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